


DragonFable: The Ravenloss Saga

by VictimofNostalgia



Series: The Heromix Chapters [1]
Category: DragonFable
Genre: F/M, I have so many feelings about this arc okay?, I just wanted Tomix to be happy, Novelization
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-12 17:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7116592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VictimofNostalgia/pseuds/VictimofNostalgia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karin so far has been doing a pretty good job being the Hero. Honestly, that thing that happened at Serenity's Inn last week totally wasn't her fault. A single moment of clumsiness sends her falling head-first into the dust of another adventure, but this one might reveal more to her about herself than she thought. Rated T for violence and mild language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ravenloss

I lay sprawled across the hard dirt, staring up into darkness, my head still reeling from my nose dive into the portal back in Falconreach. _Honestly_ , I thought to myself, _what kind of Tog-brained idiot would place a portal where some poor unsuspecting hero could trip and fall on her ass?_ My leisurely stroll through the town had been brought to an abrupt and painful ending when my toe had caught on the edge of the overgrown portal and I had gone tumbling head-first into the swirling purple depths, finally being spat unceremoniously onto the unforgiving ground.

I shook my head, trying to clear it of the haze following my oh-so graceful fall, and attempted to sit upright, sneezing at the dust that tickled my nose. I rubbed my bruised backside through my armor, grumbling about stupid portals and where I would stick my sword when I found whoever put it there. My scowled faded as my eyes adjusted to the gloom, revealing to me a massive city that littered the floor of an enormous cavern, the ceiling of the cave so high I could barely make it out through the darkness. A thick layer of dust covered everything and terrifyingly large spider webs draped themselves from the corners of stout buildings and tall towers that were decorated with windows and doors of smooth archways. Crimson chimneys poked from steepled roofs and the tips of the towers nearly joined with the enormous stalactites hanging from the ceiling. The portal had dumped me at the top of a small hill, and the city stretched for several miles in every direction. _Where in Lore am I?_ I pondered to myself. _I’ve been all over the place, so how come I’ve never found THIS place before?_

My ears twitched as they picked up the sound of footsteps, unusually loud in the eerie silence of the cavern. My hand went instinctively to the hilt of the sword hanging from my hip and forced myself to remain still, fixing my eyes in the direction of the echoing footsteps. I relaxed only slightly when the footsteps revealed themselves to be human in the form of a young man, most likely in his mid-twenties, mounting the crest of the hill. Still, I knew better than to let my guard down. While I mostly had to worry about getting attacked by ravenous monsters on my many adventures, I knew from experience that a human was more than capable of sticking a knife between my ribs. As he came to a stop before me, I tensed for a speedy retreat, but was stopped when he extended a hand as an offering to help me to my feet. “Well, this is certainly a surprise,” he said, his voice low and slightly gruff from lack of use, “but, I must say, it is good to see another human in this dark undercity.” I was hesitant to take his hand, seeing the strange gauntlets that encased both of his arms up to his elbows. They were made of a dark blue metal, trimmed with a frostier blue and adorned with a single gleaming gem of a vibrant purple. The gauntlets tipped his fingers with sharp claws. Nonetheless, I was tired of sitting on my ass on the cold ground and grasped his hand firmly with mine. The strength I felt when he hauled me to my feet was evidence enough that this man had been in a tussle or two.

I brushed the dust from my armor and tossed my dark auburn hair over my shoulder, trying to regain some form of dignity in front of this stranger before letting myself get a good look at the face of my new companion. His was a rather unusual look (well, unusual in the human sense of the word). His skin was very pale, even more so beneath the shock of silver hair that spiked in a jumbled mess from his head and the little goatee of the same color on his chin. His eyes were a dark shade of yellow beneath harsh silver eyebrows, and a dark scar crossed between them, curving over the bridge of his nose. The sudden rush of heat to my face surprised me. He was actually kind of…cute.

“Hehe, well, this is embarrassing!” I stuttered, hoping the gloom combined with my swift distraction was enough to hide my red face. “Terribly sorry to drop in here like this, but it wasn’t exactly my choice. But, I gotta say, it’s nice to have a welcome wagon that isn’t gonna try and kill me for once!” I paused, “You’re…not gonna try and kill me, are you?” I asked raising an eyebrow in his direction. He answered with a raised eyebrow of his own.

“No” he stated, shoving his hands into the pockets of his long coat.

“Oh, hehe, good” I said, rubbing my arms. I realized that this was going to get really awkward, really fast if I didn’t change the subject soon. “Well geez, where are my manners? You can call me Karin, seeing as how my full name is ridiculously long and slightly embarrassing. Whom do I have the pleasure of sharing this incredibly awkward meeting with.” I said, holding out my hand. He seemed reluctant to respond to my witty dialogue, but I could still see a shadow a of smile flicker across his features. Check ‘make my new friend smile’ off of my mental agenda.

“A SoulWeaver on a mission,” he said accepting my handshake, “My name is Tomix. I wouldn’t happen to be addressing the Heroine of all of Lore, would I?”

“Indeed you are.” I said, offering a big grin in return. “And tell me, Tomix, what would you be doing here in this dark hole?”

The somber expression returned to his face as he turned and looked out over the dusty city. “I am here because I need to fix a terrible mistake. Something I did that should NEVER be done. I was wrong, and now I have to make it right.” His sudden change in mood immediately set off my Hero Senses. At that moment, I committed myself to help Tomix in any way that was physically possible. I crept around to stand beside him with my hands clasped behind my back, leaning forward and gazing up into his face.

“Need help?”

My question seemed to surprise him as we both faced each other again. “It won’t be easy,” he said slowly, “It won’t be safe. We won’t have much help.”

I cocked my head and gave him a look. “Are you kidding me?” I asked, placing both hands firmly on my hips. “If you’ve heard about me, you should know that 1) it wouldn’t be fun if it was easy, 2) I wouldn’t be a hero if things were ‘safe’, and 3) I’m the only help you’re ever going to need.”

The ghost of a smile swept across his face again. “I suppose we should get started then. Maybe if we’re lucky, my SoulAlly Aspar will assist us from time to time, but I would welcome your help down here.”

With that, we began to descend the slope of the hill. The abandoned buildings loomed past, standing like sentinels watching our approach, unseen eyes watching us from their hiding places within their dark doorways. “Speaking of here,” I began slowly, feeling slightly paranoid in this strange new place, “Where exactly are we?”

Tomix looked at me out of the corner of his eye, obviously rather familiar with the dusty road we walked upon. “This is Ravenloss, a city under Falconreach, which is a town I imagine you know well.” I nodded my understanding. The fact that the city was underground certainly made a lot of sense given the enormous spires of rock dangling from the ceiling. “Ravenloss is occupied by the Chaosweaver spiders, a race of beings which was once just like us,” His nose wrinkled in disgust at the statement, “but you will no doubt learn more about those later. It is home now to many species of arachnids, as well as other dark creatures. I suppose it is a good thing that you are here now.”

“Wait wait wait,” I interrupted, “Did you say Chaosweavers?” Tomix nodded his reply, “Ugh! I hate those bastards! A few years ago, they broke into Falconreach and stole a bag full of dragon eggs! I was cleaning spider webs and bug-guts out of my armor for a month! You know anything about those eight-legged creeps that would give me a good reason to squash ‘em again?”

My outburst seemed to amuse Tomix, who smirked and told me, “I know little more than you. The history of the Chaosweavers is known only to the highest members of the School of SoulWeavers, as well as a few specialists. What little knowledge I possess has been enough to keep me alive as I continue my quest.”

“I’m just upset that I didn’t bring my Squishin’ Boots” I said, returning his smirk. He was a tad less amused by my attempt to keep the mood light.

“Anyway,” he continued, brushing off my jest, “I haven’t explored the town yet; up until now, I have been studying the runes on that gate for clues about the city.” He gesture with his chin toward a tall gate that loomed in the distance, higher even than the roofs of the houses nearby. A strange energy seemed to hum around the stone arch and the eight keyholes that marked the sides of it. Jagged runes laced the edges.

“Woah…” I marveled, “Amazing but… what exactly is so important about this gate?” Tomix shook his head slightly.

“To tell you the truth, I’m not entirely sure myself. The runes on this gate call it the Equilibrium Gate, and it does seem to have some sort of significance. But, its locked.” We came to a stop before the gate, blocked from going any further by the wall of purple stone that filled in the space within. Tomix looked up, yellow eyes sweeping over the runes carved deeply into the surface of the gate. “I’ve had some luck decoding the runes, but I still need to study more to figure out where all the keys are,” he continued. His eyes narrowed, giving a look of fierce intensity to his already serious face. “All I know is we’re almost certainly going to have to get inside it.” He finally turned to me and looked me in the eye with the same intense expression. “Things are always in the last place you look, and we’re going to have to go everywhere else before we can get in THERE.” He finished, gesturing back at the gate.

The passion of his voice disconcerted me. I started to hope that I hadn’t gotten myself in over my head again. _C’mon Hero!_ that reckless part of my brain yelled at me, _You can handle this!_

_Watch yourself Karin,_ the rational part cautioned me, _This guy seems like a loose cannon, you don’t know what will happen if you stay down here…_

Unfortunately, I have a bad habit of ignoring that little part of my brain.

“Where do we start?”

 


	2. Dusk Alley

Several hours’ worth of searching the abandoned city brought us our first destination: Dusk Alley, where Tomix said the first key to the Equilibrium Gate was hidden.

“Soooo…” I began as we made our way through the damp corridors of the alley, “What was this mistake that we’re trying to fix here?” I had been burning to ask since he mentioned it, but I didn’t want to pry. But then, of course, my curiosity got the best of me once more. I tried to read his face, hoping desperately that I hadn’t offended him, but his head was lowered and his features cast into shadow.

“I…” he sighed lightly, “I was young… and foolish and… defied the laws of the Headmaster of my school.” He pulled a hand out of his pocket and glared coldly at the metal of his gauntlet, “Now it is up to me to hunt down the Corrupted Elemental Spirits I conspired with so that I can atone for the wrongs I’ve done.” His fingers tightened into a fist that he shoved ruefully back into the pocket of his coat.

“Corrupted Spirits? Is that why you’re here?”

“Yes. Corrupted Elemental Spirits should NEVER be used in SoulWeaving. They taint the material forever. The spirit I followed here, Greed, corrupted the Cauldron Sisters until you saved them, but he won’t stop there if he has a chance.”

“Right, I remember that,” I recalled the memory of that one Mogloween, when I had arrived to find the sisters fighting like I had never seen them fight before, and the little yellow imp with the sharp teeth that we found as the one responsible. “I can’t tell you how much it freaked me out when I saw the sisters fight like they, especially since they’re so close. If Greed is able to break up a family like that, I don’t think I wanna know what he’s planning on doing next.” Tomix nodded in agreement.

“He is only one of the seven Corrupted Spirits I need to find and destroy. Most of the others I’ve taken care of, but Greed, Lust and Envy are still on the loose,” he stopped, his shoulders trembling ever so slightly, “I MUST destroy them!” My eyebrows knit together.

_Alright, that’s It,_ I thought to myself, _There’s no way I’m gonna leave this guy hanging now!_ I took hold of his arm and grasped his hand firmly in mine. He looked up in surprise and I could feel myself choke up at the sorrowful look in his yellow eyes. “And I’m gonna help you do it,” I promised, now in full-on hero mode, “Whatever it takes, you can count on me!” He gave the smallest smile of what looked like relief before letting go of my hand to resume our trek through the alley.

“With any luck, we’ll find Greed here and put an end to it all the faster.” His voice was still somber, but I could tell by the way he stood a little straighter that my promise had taken a little weight off of his shoulders. I allowed myself a victory grin. Check _‘make my new friend feel better’_ off of my mental checklist.

My victory was short lived. A low hissing from a darkened doorway made both of us freeze in our tracks, my hand instantly flying to the pommel of my sword. There was the whistling sound of metal flying through air and the alley exploded into a whirlwind of activity. The ChoasWeaver’s scythe passed through the air where Tomix and I had been standing only a second ago and the monster hissed in frustration. I was on it the second its spindly legs clacked against the cobblestone, my blade biting through flesh and carapace alike. It fell to the ground with a curdling scream, six of its eight legs severed at the joints, and acid green blood spurting from the wound in its chest. I whirled around and intercepted another soldier’s blade with my own, just as it came at my exposed neck. With a heave, I pushed the ChaosWeaver back, making a quick survey of the narrow alley to see Tomix dueling with yet another soldier, triangular blades of violet light bursting from his gauntlets and tearing into his opponent. Satisfied that he was holding his own, I turned back to my own opponent, only to jump back as its scythe came screaming toward my head. I thank it by plunging my sword halfway into its throat.

I spun back to aid Tomix, but stopped to watch when I saw him not only handle, but _decimate_ the three Chaosweavers that fought against him. He moved ridiculously fast, littering the battlefield with after images of violet light as he seemed to teleport from one place to another, the blades of his gauntlets slashing the soldiers caught in his furious dance to ribbons. At last, the final soldier collapsed to the ground in a puddle of its own blood and the alley became silent again. Tomix looked up to see me grinning like a maniac.

“Oh, my, gosh,” I breathed, “That was AMAZING!” I gestured to the destroyed ChaosWeavers around him.

“Karin…”

“I mean, you just ran right through those guys and they dropped like flies! That was incredible!”

“Karin…”

“How did you do that? You gotta show me how you did that! Geez, that was just SO cool!”

“KARIN!”

“What?” I asked. He didn’t need to yell at me, I wasn’t deaf.

Tomix just raised an eyebrow and stuck out his thumb, pointing in the direction leading further into the alley. I flushed and mentally chided myself for going on a tangent when there was work to do.

“Right, sorry, the mission, yeah,” I walked up to him, pulling a cloth from my bag to wipe the green gore from my blade. I nudged a dead ChaosWeaver with my foot and sighed, “And here I was thinking this was going to be easy. Silly me.” This earned me a smirk.

“Come on, we still have a key to find.” He said as he led the way into the depths of the alley.

We remained silent then, staying alert for Choasweavers and the like. Little bothered us save for a few oversized spiders that were promptly squished beneath our blades. It seemed the further we traveled into the alley the darker and danker it came. I officially put this place under Ominous Castles and Dark Forests on my list of ‘Places that give me the Creeps’. Every once in a while I could swear that I heard someone, a little kid, crying from one of the corridors that branched from the alley. Tomix warned me to ignore them when I told him. “ChaosWeavers may be monsters, but they were human at one point. They are aware of human weaknesses,” he said.

 

“It’s a dead end…” I moaned. We had wondered through the alley for hours, looking through side passages and doorways, and finding nothing that would point us to the key. Now, we stood at the very end of Dusk Alley that held nothing but a few bags overflowing with trash. I had lost all sense of time in the underground city and it felt as though my armor was rusting in the humid air. I was pretty sure my hair was frizzing too. “C’mon Tomix, the key isn’t here, let’s go.” I put a hand on his shoulder and he turned, looking disappointed.

One of the bags shivered and we froze.

“He is here…” Tomix hissed. The bag trembled again and something small and bright yellow popped out, clearly making for a hasty escape. “HALT!” Tomix cried and his gauntlets flared to life. He threw his arm forward, spectral chains flying from his fingertips, catching the small creature and pinning it to the wall in a cage of violet light. Now that it was trapped and stationary it was obvious what it was. It was nothing but a small sprite, shaped like a skull with a ghostly tail and glowing bright yellow; a Greedling, one of Greed’s minions. I remember them from when Greed invaded Falconreach during Mogloween.

“A Greedling! You were one of the ones hiding around Falconreach, weren’t you?” I asked, almost feeling sorry when the little thing shivered with fright and nodded frantically. It was obvious that Tomix didn’t feel the same.

“Why are you here?! Where is your master?! Speak!” he demanded, the fierce look on his face enough to make the Greedling tremble even harder.

“I don’t think it knows how to speak, Tomix.” I told him. He only narrowed his eyes and stretched out his hand, his arm glowing with power. He flexed his fingers and the chains around the Greedling contracted. The sprite thrashed and squeaked in pain before Tomix relaxed his hand and the chains loosened.

“I… Left behind. Master is…is…” it stammered in a shaky high pitched voice, before shaking itself viciously, crying, “NOOO! Not tell! Can’t tell!” Now I just felt bad. The poor thing was so terrified.

“Come on, little Greedling. Tomix here won’t hurt you.” I soothed, even if I knew that statement wasn’t necessarily true. The Greedling looked at me with enormous eyes and curled up as tight as it could.

“…Pellow Village.” It squeaked, barely audible. It visibly flinched .

“Where is that? Is that near here?” I asked Tomix, who’s glare had turned to realization at the Greedling’s words.

“That name…” he pondered, “I’ve seen it on the Equilibrium Gate, in the runes near the top.”

“That must be the place behind the gate then.” I mused before turning back to the Greedling and smiled gently, “Is that it, little Greedling?” It nodded frantically again, its whole body bobbing with the gesture.

“What does Greed want in there though?” he glared back at the Greedling and raised his hand, “Do _you_ know?” he clenched his fingers and again the chains squeezed the sprite until it let out a squeal. I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Easy Tomix. Easy. Look how scared he is.” I chided. Reluctantly, Tomix relaxed his grip and the magic grasping the chains ceased.

“Master… wants… Judgment Wheel!” the Greedling sputtered, “He wants to be…” he gasped with excitement, “Human! He will be immortal Human, he say. But… but other ones want it… too.”

“The other corrupt Elemental Spirits?” I urged. Again the sprite nodded.

“He says he… has to get it… first. No see him… anywhere. Must be behind GATE! Must get to Master!” the Greedling began to pull at the chains, desperate to break free. “Letmego Letmego Letmego! Plsplspls gotta go gotta go!” It truly was a sad sight.

“Aw, let it go Tomix. It’s can’t do any more damage without Greed.” Tomix paused, but eventually cut off his magic. The Greedling broke free as the chains shattered into violet shards and went racing off through the alley, calling his master’s name. I watched until its cries faded before I turned back to Tomix. He stood with his shoulders hunched and his hands in his pockets.

“I’ve GOT to get behind that gate.” He said, “If Greed is there NOW, he has plenty of time to search for the Judgment Wheel. He must NOT succeed!” I strode up and stood in front of him, crossing my arms.

“WE have got to get behind that gate,” I told him sternly, “You can’t take this on alone.”

He looked me in the eye and heaved a sigh, “You’re right, Karin, I need you for this.” He conceded.

“That’s right,” I paused, “But, what if he DOES succeed?” Tomix’s face was grim.

“At his current power level, Greed can corrupt an entire town. If he achieves his goal, if he becomes an immortal human…” he trailed off, “He will turn all of Lore against each other. Wars of avarice and greed will cripple societies. There will be no place in our world for Kindness or Love. Or anything good.” He finished.

Steeling my resolve, I replied, “We just won’t fail then. We CAN’T fail. It’s as simple as that.”

Tomix nodded his agreement, then stepped over the pile of trash, reached in, and produced a key of a light lavender color, the handle shaped like a cloud. One down, seven to go.

 


	3. Weaving Emporium

It was several days before I returned to Ravenloss. As much as I wanted to help Tomix, my duties to Falconreach and the rest of Lore came first. So after a good night’s rest at Serenity’s Inn, restocking all of my supplies, and getting Yulgar and bang out all of the dents in my armor, I tracked down the portal to Ravenloss and made sure to make my entrance as graceful as possible to compensate for my last one. Tomix was absent from the hilltop, so I made my way down to the gate where I was certain I would find him. Sure enough, there he sat at a makeshift table, pouring over parchments covered in runes. He looked up at the clanking of my boots, an excited (well, excited for Tomix) look on his face.

“Karin! It’s good you’re back. I’ve just decoded information on the Flax Key.” I gave him a skeptic look, “It’s what the gate calls it,” he said, rolling his eyes, “Anyway, it’s in the Weaving Emporium. I’m not surprised to find one there either.”

“Oh, good. I don’t suppose piles of satin and wool will attack us,” I laughed, “But finding one key in a whole building full of fabric and weaving instruments… I can feel the danger LOOMing in the horizon!” I nudged his arm with my elbow and gave him the biggest smile I could muster. His face remained completely deadpan. _Geez, tough crowd_ I thought to myself.

“Not THAT kind of weaving Karin,” he said with an added glare for effect.

I punched him lightly in the shoulder, “Oh, cheer up Tomix.” I teased, “We’ll find your key! And probably trouble too.” I added as an afterthought.

 

The Weaving Emporium stood tall amongst its neighbors and its archways and windows glowed an eerie purple. The skittering of insect legs could be heard from where we stood outside its door. Sure enough, the moment we stepped inside Chaosweavers descended on us, each wielding a pair of ridiculously large needles. They were fast, faster than their soldier counterparts, but no more a threat. The two of us together took them down in a flash of magic and steel until they lay still beneath the glowing spools of thread coiled within the glass globes that hung from the ceiling.

The sound of one such globe rolling across the floor made both of us start. “Who’s there?” I called. From behind a large pile of thread, a figure cautiously stood. A young woman with copper-colored hair stared with surprise in her large purple eyes. I narrowed my eyes. _Is she human?_ I wondered, _if she is, what’s she doing in a place like this?_ “Who are you? What are you doing here?” I demanded. I knew I was being a little harsh, but years of the hero business had a tendency to make you a little paranoid. She began to extract herself from her hiding place, picking at the threads that had caught around her ankles.

“Don’t you know it’s dangerous here?” Tomix asked in with equal authority, “There are Chaosweavers everywhere! You will get hurt if you stay here!” The young woman froze and fixed Tomix with a glare that would’ve burnt holes into his face. Finally removing herself from the thread, she stood straight and dignified.

“ _I_ can take care of myself, thank you very much!” she retorted, the scorn in her voice matched to her expression, “besides, I’ve been studying Chaosweavers for a while now, so before you go accusing me of being where I shouldn’t, you should ASK me what I know!” she folded her arms stubbornly across her chest. I had to admit, she had some guts standing up to the two warriors she just witnessed slaughter a battalion of Chaosweavers. “ _That_ would show you I know how to take care of myself!” her eyes flickered to me briefly, her glare softening. “A warrior like Karin traveling with you…” she gestured at me with a hand, “Karin I’ve heard of. Everyone has.” I allowed myself a smug grin and nudged Tomix with my shoulder.

“She’s right ya know,” I said. Tomix only glowered at me with a look that said _Shut the hell up Karin_ before returning his attention to the young woman.

“If she is with you… you’re definitely doing something important. I can tell,” she said. “I have skills, I could help!”

Tomix looked her up and down before inclining his head slightly. “Thank you, miss…”

“Riadne,” she offered, “My name is Riadne, Arachnomancer Adept. And you are?”

He tilted up his head and answered, “I am Tomix, a SoulWeaver on a mission.” I rolled my eyes at his theatrics and planted a heavy arm on his shoulder, forcing him to fix his stance beneath the extra weight.

“What he means to say is he’s Trouble,” I tease, coaxing a smile from Riadne and a snarl from Tomix, “But that stylish goatee of his seems to make you forget all about the danger.” I could’ve sworn I saw Tomix turn bright red out of the corner of my eye as he growled my name menacingly and shoved me off of him. I coughed innocently in reply and folded my hands behind my back.

Straightening his coat in an attempt to retain his dignity, Tomix bowed slightly to Riadne and said, “I would be… very grateful if you could tell me what you know of the Chaosweavers, Riadne.”

She smiled and bowed back. “Of course,” she said, “Since you’re a SoulWeaver, I’m sure you know some of this. But I’ll tell you what I’ve learned.” She cleared her throat and continued:

“Chaosweavers are a faction of SoulWeavers, but they split off from them a long, long time ago. They are skilled in the mystical arts and are VERY power-hungry. Just listening to them talk, it makes me shudder to hear what they do to people who cross them. They are evil. All good drained out of them by the strange mind-sickness which changed them into the half-human, half-spider they are now. They follow their own desires. They weave with wicked Elemental Spirits, not like SoulWeavers. The strange weaving incident that changed them, I don’t know much about. I need to study them more.”

“Wow, you’ve learned so much!” I said, truly impressed by the information she had gathered. “I had no idea Chaosweavers…”

“Were like that?” Tomix finished for me, “Neither did I. So much information about them is restricted to the highest levels of SoulWeavers.” He nodded his thanks and I followed suit. “Thank you, Riadne. You _have_ helped us a good deal.” Riadne smiled sweetly.

“It was my pleasure, Tomix. Anything I learn, I will be happy to share with you.”

“Yes, thank you , Riadne. I think that whatever you find out will be incredibly useful if we want to take out these creeps. Right, Tomix? Tomix?” I looked to find Tomix looking intently at Riadne, a thoughtful look in his eye. That weird heat from the first time I met him threatened to overwhelm me again. I waved my hand in front of his face a few times. “Tomix!” he finally looked at me, seeming a little dazed before his stoic-SoulWeaver-face was back up. “Come on, we’ve got to go. Riadne’s going to keep watching and learning,” I assured him, “WE have got to find that key.”

“Right. You’re right, Karin.” We turned to offer our goodbyes to our new friend, “Until next time, Riadne.”

 

We fought our way through the Emporium, artisan Chaosweavers lying in wait for us around every corner. The time we had spent talking to Riadne had given them the opportunity to regroup. I had been fighting alone for so long that I had almost forgotten what it was like fighting alongside someone else, to have someone there to bail me out of trouble. At one point, when four Chaosweavers had surrounded me and I was frantically trying to _not_ get skewed on the tips of their giant needles, Tomix had appeared out of thin air, driving his soul blades into their necks. For so long I had fought alone, relying only on my own strength. Having Tomix there made me feel just a little safer.

We found the flax key hidden amongst discarded spools of glowing neon soul threads. Tomix shot me what was slowly becoming his trademark smirk before depositing it in the deep pocket of his coat. The warm feeling had spread down into my stomach.

 


	4. Market District

I found Tomix in the exact same spot I had the time before, bent over his charts and diagrams and studying them feverishly. He didn’t even look up when he heard me coming, instead rolling up a map and sticking it in his pocket saying, “We’re headed to the Market District this time, Karin. I’m almost certain that’s where the Ember Key is hidden.”

I smirked and patted him on the back, probably a little harder than was necessary. “Oh good! I need to pick up some groceries anyway!” This time he didn’t even react, evidence that he was already getting used to my amazingly witty dialogue.

 

Ravenloss’s center disappeared behind us as small stalls began the line the road around us. Hoping to drown out the crescendo of insect noises, I asked Tomix: “Soooo, what exactly is a SoulWeaver? You haven’t told me yet.”

He kept his pace, his eyes casting suspicious glances behind dusty counter tops as he answered. “A SoulWeaver is an Adept in the art of weaving with Elemental Spirits. Using SpiritLooms, which each SoulWeaver must forge by themselves,” he pulled his hand out of his pocket and held it out to me, the dark metal of his gauntlet gleaming, “they are able to weave with an Elemental Spirit partner. Together they can create cloth which never gets dirty, cannot be destroyed by force, and can even change color depending on the wearer’s moods. It will also grow WITH the wearer.”

“So, your coat?”

He nodded his head, but I couldn’t help but notice the sudden slump in his shoulders. “This coat was the first thing I ever wove but… that was back when I made my mistake. I was just a student at the time and didn’t possess my own SpiritLooms, so I used the Headmaster’s…” he trailed off. I didn’t prod him to tell me more, knowing that it was touching on a sensitive subject. We traveled on in silence, winding our way further and further into the growing forest of tents and stalls. The air grew thick with the smell of old meat and rotting fruit, but I forced myself to breathe, thinking that I might as well get used to it. “We should start in the center and work our way out,” Tomix said. “Keep your eyes open for the Ember Key.”

“Will do,” I replied, eyes sweeping cautiously across the dirt road. It was eerie how desolate the marketplace was in spite of how cluttered the stalls made it. The shrieking of monsters could be heard through the gloom. Tomix and I remained on edge, moving as silently as we could.

The air was dead in the marketplace, not even a breeze to stir the trash on the streets. My nerves had grown tight, paranoia gnawing at my gut. I had learned in my travels that stillness in a monster-infested area was never a good sign. My eyes began to play tricks on me as I swore I saw flickers of movement in the corners of my vision, my hand twitching on the pommel of my sword. Tomix looked as though he fared no better, his dark yellow eyes darting back and forth, his jaw tight and fists clenched.

A shadow moved in the recesses of a tent. _Ok, I know I didn’t imagine that one,_ I thought as I launched myself forward, tackling Tomix to the ground as a large Death Widow spider sailed over us, hissing in fury. The knife from my boot found its way into one of the spider’s eyes with a skillful flick of the wrist and it reared back, roaring in pain. I sneered at it in satisfaction.

A small cough drew my attention and I looked down before suddenly finding me face to face with Tomix, still lying on his back with me crouched over him. Embarrassment flooded my face and I wheeled back, blushing furiously. I quickly scrambled to my feet and turned away hoping to hide my face. Tomix chuckled dryly and stood, dusting off his coat. I felt his hand on my shoulder and I peeked out from the shelter of my hands, giving him a sheepish smile. “Sorry,” I said, sounding pitiful even to myself.

“Its fine,” he said, “I thank you.” I lowered my hands and my smile turned a little more appreciative. Reluctantly, _Save my new friend’s life and make them owe me_ was checked off my mental agenda. I always hated when that happened and yet it happened every time, and then they would feel as though they owed me a debt and could only settle it by saving _my_ life in return. So far, nothing all that bad had happened, but I always feared the day when one of them would take a blade for me and then they would be gone. I only hoped that Tomix wasn’t going to be that person.

A low hiss interrupted the moment and the two of us turned to face a very angry spider, green blood coursing down its ugly face from where my knife stuck out of its eye. It snapped its pincers and stomped its legs, crouched and then charged.

Its funny how when, in the heat of battle, two people who are fighting together seem to be able to read each other’s minds, synchronizing perfectly to pull out victory from the air. Tomix and I only looked at each other before we simultaneously stepped to the side, flanking the charging arachnid and dismembering its legs as it flew by. What remained of its body crashed to the ground and its severed legs twitch feebly at our feet. I casually strolled up to it, looked it straight in its remaining eyes, pulled out my knife and drove it deep into its skull.

Tomix strode to my side, looking slightly impressed as I ripped the blade from the spider’s ruined carapace, wiped it clean and stuck it back into my boot. “Shall we?” he asked.

“Let’s” and we walked away from the dead spider, feeling slightly relieved of tension… until I turned a corner and found myself before a massive ChaosWeaver. At least, I thought it was a ChaosWeaver. Its face resembled one, but it stood on two legs, covered from head to toe in armor. It was nothing more than a statue. A well carved and highly detailed statue, but a statue nonetheless. A small figure kneeled before it, wrapped in a tattered brown cloak. I held out an arm as Tomix attempted to follow me, stopping him before he could startle it.

I kept one hand on the pommel of my sword, slowly approaching the small figure, trying to keep my tread as soft as possible. As I crept around the side, I was just able to see beneath the rim of its cloak, stopping in my tracks at what I saw. The only name I could describe it with was a ChaosWeaver child. Large white eyes gazed up at the statue reverently from a black face. Its clawed hands were clasped almost in prayer as it hunched over eight spindly spider legs jutting from a small thorax. Before I could move to get a closer look, the small creature seemed to notice my presence, its head suddenly snapping up to fix me with a frightened stare. I could feel the emptiness in those blank eyes as it held me in its gaze. My eyes started to burn and I blinked, but the creature had evaporated into thin air in that brief flash of darkness. I found myself staring intently at the place where it once was, as though it would suddenly reappear. In fact, I almost hoped it would.

I jumped at the hand that came down gently on my shoulder, whipping around my head in a panic to meet a pair of yellow eyes. It took a moment for me to realize that I was looking at a face, and that that face belonged to Tomix. He was shaking me slightly, asking me, “Are you alright?”. I shook my head vigorously, suddenly shivering from the chill I wasn’t aware had crept up my spine. “I’m fine,” I replied in a shaky voice, “a little disturbed, but fine.” I glanced back to the foot of the statue where the little ChaosWeaver had so previously been. “What _was_ that?”

Tomix followed my gaze, eyes lingering on the statue. “I think it may have been the child of a ChaosWeaver, abandoned here by its parents. What it was doing here, I have no idea. Come on; if one was here, there’s no telling how many more may be lurking nearby.” He placed a hand on my elbow and softly led me away until the fearsome statue was lost among the peaks of the tents. Once my nerves stopped jumping, I began to think. _The child of a ChaosWeaver_ , I speculated, _they must be so enthralled in their desire for power that they just abandoned their children to fend for themselves. That’s kinda sad. Must be why all of them are so crazy. I know I would be too if I was left in a place like this._

Our footsteps suddenly began to echo as the road widened, opening into a round plaza paved with worn cobblestone. Tomix came to an abrupt stop and a glanced at him in confusion, become even more confused when I saw that he was smiling. _Genuinely_ smiling. Like with teeth and everything. In the center of the plaza was a man. Well, not necessarily a man per say. For starters, he seemed to float just above the ground, his toes just barely brushing the street. His skin was jet black, so deep that he would have practically blended into the gloom if not for the violet glow that illuminated his features.

“Aspar!” Tomix shouted and the creature turned. Wisps of light trailed from fuchsia eyes. Tomix took off, seeming more enthusiastic than I ever thought possible for him. I followed at a much more cautious pace. The creature Tomix called Aspar smiled warmly as we approached. “It is good to see you, my friend,” he greeted Tomix, “Very good indeed. I have been worried. And I found this,” Aspar reached behind his back and pulled a key from nowhere. Flames wrought from red steel decorated the handle. “I know that you have been looking for them. I thought you might want it.” Tomix’s smile grew even wider. I was seriously beginning to get weirded out. Tomix had always struck me as the type that did dark and brooding, and little of anything else. Seeing him this happy was just plain strange.

“Aw, you know I can take care of myself, Aspar,” he said sheepishly, “I’ve come this far without help.” I started at his words before I snorted and crossed my arms. _What am I then? Chopped Liver?_ I thought bitterly. Tomix shot me a glance and his grin turned back into the smirk I was used to. “Well, not without a LOT of help,” I stuck out my tongue at the back of his head as he turned back to Aspar. “Thanks for finding that key,” he added as he took the key from Aspar’s hand and slid it into his pocket. The grin returned as he continued, “And now I even have Karin! What could go wrong?”

“Yeah, thanks for just jinxing our entire quest Mr. Uncannily Optimistic,” I said as I walked to his side, “And Tomix? …Who is this?” I asked, jerking a thumb in Aspar’s direction. The look Tomix gave me was incredulous.

“Who is _this_?” he asked back, clearly taken aback by my apparent ignorance. He flung a gauntleted hand to gesture at the creature who seemed quite pleased with himself, “This is ASPAR! He saved my life. He is the Elemental Spirit of Kindness. And he is my closest friend, my SoulAlly. Without him, I would be lost. Nothing.” Tomix sobered, seemingly deep in thought.

“Then it is a pleasure to meet you Aspar,” I said to the spirit with a small bow. _Any friend of Tomix is a friend of mine_ , I thought. He smiled in return.

“I am sure we will grow to be close friends as well,” he replied.

“So, how did you and Tomix meet? Just out of curiosity,” _damn me and my curiosity_. Aspar seemed surprised, but spoke nonetheless.

“That’s a, well, I wouldn’t call it a _funny_ story exactly,” he began slowly.

“It is a foolish story,” Tomix interjected, the brooding expression back up on his face, “It was at Edelia, the school of SoulWeaving. And I had accepted a very stupid challenge.”

“From a boy who wanted only to harm you,” Aspar added sternly before his face softened again, “But he is buried in obscurity now, and no one with remember his name. He is dead to history, while you…” The spirit placed a hand on Tomix’s shoulder, “You will be remembered. He may have issued the challenge which cost you so much, but ultimately you won. And I am with you.” Tomix gave his friend a small smile before his face became bitter.

“I accepted the challenge to weave a coat using the Headmaster’s SpiritLooms. He had trapped seven corrupted spirits within them,” he said.

“I heard rumors of the fight, and was drawn to them,” Aspar told him, hand still upon his shoulder, “I had been watching you grow for a long time.” _Okay, that’s a little creepy_ , I couldn’t help but think. Tomix just looked surprised. “You had?” he asked.

“You were- ARE- destined to be great,” Aspar continued, “I am attracted to greatness, drawn to it.” _Okay, that’s REALLY a little creepy_. The two of them just stood there smiling at each other for a little while. Was he gonna start a story and just leave it on a cliff hanger?

I cleared my throat loudly to catch their attention and they both turned to stare at me, puzzled. “So,” I prodded impatiently, “what happened with the challenge?!” The two backed away from each other in embarrassment. After an awkward moment, Aspar spoke again. “He used a forbidden incantation, and it consumed him,” Tomix looked away, his face colored in shame, “His face turned pale, and his hair changed from a deep crimson to the silver you see now,” Tomix visibly flinched as the spirit spoke, “And his eyes… they WERE blue. Now, they are not.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off of the young man; trying to envision him the way that Aspar described he was before. Tomix ducked his head beneath my scrutiny, refusing to meet my gaze. “The spirits I tried to weave with were stealing the life energy from me,” he said in a soft voice, “But Aspar saved me.”

“I will always try to be there to save you, Tomix,” Aspar said, once again completely ignoring me, “I will be around, nearby if you need me.”

“Thank you my friend,”Tomix replied. “Karin,” he called and I blinked, not realizing that I was still staring at him.

“Oh, so you finally remembered that I was here, huh?” I asked, trying very hard to be obnoxious for the utter lack of happy atmosphere. Tomix rolled his eyes.

“We should get back to the gate. We still have five more keys to find.”

“Whatever you say chief,” I said, giving him a little mock salute. I turned and gave Aspar a small bow, “It was nice meeting you Aspar,” I told him and the spirit smiled, perhaps a little too widely.

“I am certain that we will see each other again soon.”

With that, we left the elemental spirit in the plaza.

 


	5. Silkwood Park

I woke up bright and early the next morning to meet Tomix outside of the Gate. I began talking before he could even greet me. “Hello Tomix!” I greeted him cheerfully, “I have a good feeling about today. Let’s go! You can tell me what key we’re searching for on the way!” I strode past him, entirely amused by the confounded look on his face. He just sat there before hesitantly getting up and following me. “So,” I started casually as he drew up beside me, “have you decoded any more of the runes yet? Where do we go next?” Tomix nodded.

“I have, and we’re headed to Silkwood Park,” he answered, “We are hunting for the Shell Key this time.” He paused, looking at me from the corner of his eye. “And I-“ he cleared his throat, “I’m glad you met Aspar. You can see why I depend on him.” I smiled as his face faintly flushed but didn’t speak right away. As much as I knew that Tomix relied on the spirit as a source of comfort and friendship, there was something about Aspar that just rubbed me the wrong way. I sincerely hoped that my doubts would prove false, but my hero instincts had yet to fail me. I nodded slowly as I realized that Tomix was looking to me for a reply.

“He seems to be a…” I began, trying to pick my words carefully, “very good… friend.” Tomix seemed to sense my apprehension but said nothing as the buildings of Ravenloss shrank behind us and tall trees took their place. We stopped at the mouth of the path leading into the gloom. “Now, let’s go get that key!” I said with renewed determination. He answered with a brisk nod and led the way into the twisted forest.

 

It was eerily calm within the park; not a breath of breeze to rattle the bare branches of the trees. The trees themselves seemed to be dead, rotting the bark to a dark brown. As in the city, freakishly large spider webs were draped through the tree limbs. Enormous mushrooms grew in the dark crevices, glowing a radioactive green. Movement flickered in the darker recesses of the trees.

One such shadow scurried from the dark; a curious creature that closely resembled a sneevil, but possessing a long pointed snout. It stared at us with large blind eyes, nose twitching. Two sharp spades were held in its clawed hands. I couldn’t get to it fast enough; lightning had leapt from Tomix’s hands and struck the dry ground at the creature’s feet. It let out a high-pitched squeal before bounding away into the bushes.

“What?” he asked, seeing the look I shot him, “We don’t have time for this!”

“You could have saved some for me…” I pouted, sticking out my lip.

He rolled his eyes and gestured sharply, “Come, we much of the park left to explore. The key could be anywhere.”

“Alright, alright, keep your coat on, I’m coming,” I grumbled and followed Tomix deeper into the park.

It wasn’t long before another sound stopped us; a heavier tread than the sneevil, and with a lot more legs to boot. Concealed behind the trunks of dilapidated trees, Tomix and I could make out the large silhouettes of ChaosWeavers, taking what could have been considered a leisurely stroll through Silkwood Park and speaking to each other in low raspy voices.

“ChaosWeavers?!” I hissed to Tomix hidden behind another tree close by, “What are they doing here?”

“If I were to judge, I’d say they were once noblemen,” he whispered back, “higher up in the echelons of ChaosWeaver society. This park could potentially be a meeting place for them. We'd best remain alert." I couldn't argue with that as I followed Tomix, sneaking through the undergrowth and trying out best not to draw attention to ourselves.

"It's clear," I told Tomix as I extricated myself from the brush and back onto the dirt path, grumbling as I pulled twigs and leaves from my hair.

"I thought those ChaosWeavers would never leave," he sighed, brushing off the shoulders of his coat, "Now we can finally get back to searching for that key-" Tomix stopped short, his eyes widening as he stared down the road.

"Tomix?" he didn't respond when I called his name. I followed his gaze, trying to see what had him so paralyzed. There, at the fork in the path stood another figure. A single glowing red eye stared us down from the shadowy depths of a hood. Hands were shoved in the pockets of a tattered crimson cloak. "Tomix?" I repeated, hoping to shake him from whatever stupor the sight of this person had put him in, "Who is that? Do you know him?"

His lips moved only slightly, a breath of air that sounded a lot like "Murk".

"What?" I prodded, desperate to get something out of him. Without warning, his arm shot out and he grabbed my hand and pulled me back into the woods on the other side of the path. Before the view was crowded by trees, I looked back, only to see the figure turn its head and watch us disappear.

Tomix only stopped when we had reached an entirely new part of the park. Pulling my hand out of his, I gripped him by the shoulders. He had turned even paler than he already was, breathing deeply to try and regain himself.

"What the heck was that?" I asked him, my voice low and serious. Tomix raised his head and looked at me, and I saw the fleeting fear that reflected in his eyes for a moment. He drew and cleared his throat.

"I'll tell you later," he said lamely before turning away and stepping back out on the dirt path- only to duck as a thick beam of azure light shot over his head.

My blade was drawn even before I reached his side. In the clearing, floating a foot or so off the ground near a cracked stone bench, was one of the strangest creatures I had ever seen (and that's really saying something). It appeared to be made of some kind of black stone, cut here and there in lines like circuits that glowed a bright blue. A large ring floated above what might have been its head.

It did nothing further to attack us, but the longer I stood there, the more the air began to feel oppressive, as though its very presence were trying to crush me. I shifted my stance only slightly and the thing sprang to life again, focusing its attention on me, another beam of light shot from the ring. I dove out of the way, rolling on my shoulder and springing back up, a maneuver that brought me closer. I managed a stab at it before it reacted again, my blade nicking a slice off of it's rounded surface. I leapt back as another beam scorched the ground where I had been standing.

Tomix had moved silently as I distracted it, hands seething with purple light. I continued to dance around the creature; several shots came so close that I could feel the heat on my face. _That's right, I'm right here buddy_ , I thought, making sure it didn't sense the SoulWeaver creeping up behind.

In a flash of light, Tomix's claws bisected the creature into two clean halves. It fell like a stone, the azure light dying from its circuits before fading away into nothing, leaving absolutely no trace that it had ever been there other than a few patches of scorched earth. Immediately the air felt lighter.

"What in hell was that?!" I asked aloud.

"I have no idea," Tomix offered so very helpfully, "But was it just me, or did that thing feel…"

"Like a ChaosWeaver?" I finished for him. It had hit me just then; that feeling of asserting domination, the destructive will of the ChaosWeavers.

"Exactly," he replied. He shook his head, "I'm liking this less and less."

"Couldn't agree more, but come on, we still have a key to find. Let's just hope that we don't run into anymore of those things."

Tomix nodded in agreement. And the two of us ventured further into the gloom of Silkwood Park.

At last, after what seemed forever, we ended in a little courtyard. In the center stood the statue of a woman, surrounded by overgrown rose bushes. Something dark blue glinted from the undergrowth.

"Tomix," I said tapping him on the arm, "I think I found the key."

He flashed the first smirk I had seen all day. "Excellent."

As I went to retrieve the key, the bushes began to rustle. "Tomix?" a small voice spoke from within. Riadne's copper head poked out from the foliage.

"Riadne!" Tomix voiced in surprise, moving closer.

"Tomix!" Riadne's face lit up at the sight of him, "I-"

"I was-"

"Worried about you," Riadne finished, a light blush dusting her cheeks. She cleared her throat awkwardly, seeming to notice me standing there for the first time. "I followed the ChaosWeavers here," she continued, "It seems I just missed overhearing a big meeting."

"Keep watching them," Tomix replied, his Serious SoulWeaver Face back up in full force, "I know you can find out more. We almost didn't notice you, you were so well-hidden."

"Be careful though," I felt obligated to add, "We've seen a new creature here in Ravenloos. I think-" I paused, trying to phrase what we had seen earlier, "Based on what you've observed and what I'm learning from watching Tomix watch them…"

"I have and idea," Tomix answered my unasked question, "I will tell you both when we meet Riadne again, when I am more sure. And we WILL meet again."

"I'm sure of THAT," I retorted, feeling the need to lift the atmosphere a little, "You look around for her ALMOST as much as you watch my back." Even as I said it, I wasn't sure why I did. Riadne had flushed a light red again.

"I'll be careful, if you will Tomix," she turned and nodded to me with a smile, "And Karin too, of course."

"Of course," I replied and returned the smile. "C'mon Tomix, we have somewhere to put this," I said, holding up the decorative key.

 


	6. Mystlyk Museum

Four keys down. We were half way there. Possibilities buzzed in my brain as I walked down the now-familiar path through Ravenloss's dusty streets. What was on the other side of the Gate? What would we do when we got there? Did I leave the water running at home? Wait… no I didn't. As I neared said gate, I found Tomix doing exactly the same thing he was last time; pouring over charts and scrolls with the same amount of fervor that Artix has while fighting the undead. He actually smiled when he looked up and saw me. It wasn't quite as large as the smile he wore when he saw Aspar again, but it was more than the usual smirk he gave me. He actually looked… happy.

"Good morning Karin," he said. He stood straighter than before and his yellow eyes seemed to almost shine in the gloom. Seeing him so relaxed (for once) makes me smile back.

"Good morning Tomix!" I replied, already feeling refreshed and raring to go, "Anything I miss while I was busy saving the world?"

"Actually Karin, it's the Bolt Key," my smile dropped and I eyed him accusingly.

"Wait, you've found it already?" I crossed my arms and pouted dramatically, "without my help?" Tomix rolled his eyes and shook his head, chuckling under his breath.

"Oh, no no," he said, "but I know where it is. We must venture into a ChaosWeaver museum," he looked at me pointedly, "Mystlyk Museum."

"ChaosWeavers have museums?" I raised an eyebrow, "Huh, I never really figured them for the cultural type." I shrugged and leaned against Tomix's desk. "I wonder if it's from the time before. You know, when they were fully human?" He snorted.

"I'm not sure," he said with a sigh. Part of me thought that he didn't really care. "But I _do_ know we have to find that key." With a swift motion he cleared the table, stuffing the scroll he had been examining into the seemingly bottomless pocket of his coat. "Let's go!"

"Is this place really creepy, or is it just me?" I whispered, afraid of breaking the stifling silence of the museum, "No, it's not just me; this place is definitely creepy."

"Creepy is a good word for it…" Tomix whispered back. We moved slowly, the silence making us paranoid. Our footsteps echoed loudly on the museum's scuffed marble floor and all around the vaulted ceilings.

"We must have beaten the ChaosWeavers here," I remarked, "Otherwise this place would be literally crawling," I shivered at the thought of all of those legs. Why did they have to have so _many_?

"Better for us to comb the museum. The key has to be here somewhere."

Time seemed to slow inside of the museum. Our path took us past dust-coated displays, one after the next until I had lost track of where we actually were. I was starting to sneeze from the sheer amount of dust our boots kicked up.

"Man, this place is a mess!" I couldn't help but point out; the silence was starting to give me a headache and just demanded that I start talking, "I mean, look at this! It looks like no one's been here in years! What's the point of a museum if no one comes to it?"

"Karin, come over here for a second," Tomix's voice came from an adjacent room. I was never going to get used to the way he could just disappear like that. I found him standing before a display; a large glass cylinder containing an enormous roll of parchment.

"What's this supposed to be?" I leaned in close, trying to decipher the faint sketchy lines that covered it. "It looks like a schematic…"

"'The Judgement Wheel'," Tomix read off the plaque and our eyes snapped together, "Karin, the Greedling…"

"This is what Greed is after! This is what's behind the Gate!" I placed my hands against the glass and peered up at the object of Greed's desire. I pursed my lips. "Doesn't look much like a wheel, does it?" Indeed, the contraption looked more like a pendulum, with a sharp crescent on one end of a long shaft and a hammer head at the other.

"I suppose not, but if Greed is after it, it can't be anything good," Tomix's hand came down on my shoulder, "Come on, we should keep looking."

I studied the parchment even as I backed out of the room. I wanted to be ready in case I had to deal with that thing. It looked suspiciously like a weapon.

"Whelp, no key yet," I announced as I rejoined him in the hall, "We've gotta be getting close, I don't think there's much of this place we haven't seen yet."

"Hello?" another voice cut off Tomix's reply, coming from a small room nearby, "is someone there? Preferably someone whose _not_ a spider?" The door opened just wide enough for a person to poke their head through, and that person had some very familiar copper colored hair. Riadne smiled brilliantly and pushed to door more to get through. A young man with blond hair and the most startling green eyes followed her out.

"Riadne!" Tomix was quick to meet her, peering over her shoulder to eye the young man behind her, "And… Izaac? Is that you?" He reached out to grasp his hand. Covering Izaac's arms were spirit looms much like the ones Tomix wore.

"Tomix my old friend!" Izaac said as he beamed with pearly white teeth, "I see you've already met my new friend Riadne! But… who is this with you?" he turned to me, green eyes instantly turning bright with curiosity. I couldn't help but smile. Izaac obviously was the kind of person to wear his emotions on his sleeve. His open face and expressive eyes were such a contrast to Tomix. And those large eyes grew wide with dawning realization. "That's not Karin, Hero of Falconreach, is it? Could it be?"

I offered him a shrug and a grin, "Guess I'm kinda famous, huh?"

I could _hear_ Tomix rolling his eyes that time. "This it is, my friend. She's helping me hunt for Greed here in Ravenloss."

"It is good to meet you Izaac. I see you and Tomix are already friends, did you know him from school?"

"Oh yes, we were very good friends there!"

"You must have some fun stories about Tomix as a young man then!" Riadne piped up and instantly my mind began to fill with all sorts of devious plans. School stories always made good for blackmail material. Tomix's eyes had very subtly gone wide, but I'd been around him enough by this point to know that the thought of me having that knowledge terrified him. Oh yeah… this could be fun.

"Yeah! I bet you do! Can you tell us some? It sounds to me like you got into a bit of trouble when you were younger, Tomix," said angry SoulWeaver fixed me with a burning glare that I leveled with a menacing grin.

"Anyways…" he said with a growling undertone and one final pointed stare in my direction before clearing his throat and continuing, "We're searching for a key. Metallic, yellow, some spikes on the end. You know, like what you'd _think_ a Bolt Key looks like. But, what are you two doing here?" Izaac's face seemed to light up like he'd just taken in a whole lot of sugar.

"You know I've always wanted to study archeology instead of SoulWeaving," he said, "so I'm here on an exploratory mission from the Headmaster of Edelia! There's so much just in this one building to study!" The entire idea of staying in this creepy, dusting, huge building gave me the shivers, but Izaac seemed totally elated by the notion.

"And I'm here to watch ChaosWeavers," Riadne cut in before Izaac could launch into what was probably going to be an archeology lecture, "I saw Izaac here skulking about the building and followed him in. As for the ChaosWeavers, I hope to have more information for you the next time we meet." Her smile started to fade and the once comfortable atmosphere sobered, "And it's good you're here, so I can tell you that I've seen more of those… those things."

Tomix and I exchanged a look. We knew exactly what she was talking about; those strange floating constructs that we had fought in Silkwood Park. "They have a look about them… they just feel like they're ChaosWeavers, wouldn't you say?" I asked. Surely if Riadne had seen them again she would have more information. She shook her head, clearly baffled.

"Or parts of them, at least. But they can't be, can th-" a horrendous crash cut her off, amplified two fold by the vaulted ceiling. The faint sound of scuttling legs and a hissing language soon followed.

"What was that?" Izaac's eyes were darting fitfully around the hall, his voice in a nervous whisper.

"ChaosWeavers, no doubt," Tomix answered, hands already alight with violet wisps of energy. I pulled my sword in kind.

"Riadne, Izaac, you two stay here. Go back in that room and barricade the door. Tomix and I need to make sure the building is secure," I told them in my most commanding voice, and they were quick to comply.

"We will be back soon. Stay safe!" Tomix added over his shoulder, already striding down the hall toward the swelling sound of arachnids. He flashed me a quick yellow glance. "You ready?"

I cracked my neck loudly. "Let's go get 'em!"

"So Tomix!" I shouted over the screams of dying ChaosWeavers, "about that whole "Embarrassing Tales of Young Tomix" thing!"

"Karin, now is really not the time!" he yelled back between bursts of soul energy.

"C'mon!" I whined, flinching as acid-green blood splashed against my face, "I promise I won't tell anyone!"

"That, I sincerely doubt, Karin!" Tomix's voice was next to me this time as he phased into existence with his back pressed against mine. "Switch with me!" In a fluid motion we swapped places, trading my Death Widows for his ChaosWeaver guards where my long-range sword could find the chinks in their armor more easily than his soul claws.

"You just know me too well, don't you?" He just shot me a tight smirk in reply as another monster fell.

Minutes began to blur as the incoming enemies began to dwindle. At last a final spider died with a frustrated hiss and it was silent.

"It looks like we've killed everything, Tomix" I told him, wiping sweat from my forehead. The ChaosWeavers really seemed to stop us this time. Heh, as if that would ever happen.

"Yes, I think so," Tomix sounded as winded as I felt, but his eyes were still sharp, "But we've got to make sure the others are still safe. Let's hurry!" I nodded in agreement and the two of us took off as fast as we could back through the museum's main hall. The little room where Izaac and Riadne were holed up was further away than I remembered. I pounded my fist on the door.

"Izaac! It's Karin and Tomix! You can come out now!" I shouted. There were sounds of objects being scrapped across the floor before the door opened just a crack to reveal a wide, livid green eye.

"You're safe, thank goodness! But…" He looked over my shoulder and into the empty room beyond Izaac, "But where is-"

"I don't know!" Izaac cried, slumping against the door frame. "I- I heard screams and ran back! I'd been in another room, making sure they couldn't get in!" he gestured to another door back in the dark recesses of the room. His hands were shaking. "And I heard the screams! I made my way back and she was gone!" a choked sob escaped from him and he slid to the ground. I felt Tomix tense next to me and his fingers gripped my arm in a tight grasp. His eyes were wild when I turned to look at him. In that instant he wasn't that cool, collected SoulWeaver I knew. He was scared, and that scared me.

"We've got to rescue Riadne, Karin! Let's go!" He seemed ready to bolt then and there but my firm hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"But Tomix, the key," I said, trying to remind him what we were here to do, "We still don't have the key! I didn't see any sign of it, and we've been through the whole museum!" He seemed to deflate as I spoke, shoulders sagging.

"I… I suppose I could have misread the runes on the gate…" he said slowly. He backed away, his face turning dark as he seemed to slump in on himself. In the doorframe, Izaac was still curled up into a ball and shaking like a leaf. I couldn't help a huff of irritation. The last thing I needed at a time like this was a couple of brooding men.

"Come on, let's get out of here. I'll plan a war for us to rescue Riadne while you study the runes. We'll find the key AND Riadne, I promise." I gave Tomix a stern look (that he ignored) and offered a hand to Izaac. He looked up with eyes glistening with tears. "Come on, Izaac, we can't leave you here alone. They could come back." He took my hand and I pulled him to his feet with more force than was probably necessary.

Izaac and Tomix moped on either side of me while I lead the way out of the museum. Tomix looked drained, but I could see the wheels turning in his head. Whatever he was thinking about made his eyes tight with grief and his lips thin into a line. Izaac was dragging his feet, wiping at his cheeks with his sleeve. I could feel their gloomy moods hovering over me, threatening to bring me down with them. This was not supposed to happen.

_What are we gonna do now?_

 

 

 

 


	7. Dark Tower Penitentiary

My back cracked as I stretched, trying to shake the sleep from my limbs. It had been a few days since my last visit to the subterranean city, and I had to admit, I was worried about Tomix. When we had found out that the ChaosWeavers had taken Riadne back at the museum, he had become positively frantic. I could only assume that he had been searching non-stop for her since. For some reason, it made me feel queasy.

I thanked Serenity and left the inn, wandering down the streets of Falconreach to the secluded spot where the portal to Ravenloss was hidden. It was a beautiful morning, the sunlight streaming through the trees of FalconsNest Park. It always sucked making the trip underground when the weather was this nice; it was nothing but dust and darkness and ChaosWeavers down there.

If possible, Tomix looked even worse when I found him at the gate. He was covered in dust and he looked as though he hadn’t slept for a while. The look in his eyes was slightly manic when he spotted me.

“Karin!” he shouted, “Thank goodness you’re back!” It was unsettling, the cracking of his deep voice.

“I’m sorry I’ve been away. Been taking care of things up top,” I apologized. I really did feel incredibly bad about leaving him alone. Perhaps if I had stayed with him, he wouldn’t be so damn unhinged. “What’s happening? Have you found more clues about the Bolt Key?” Tomix hung his head, drew a gauntleted hand down his tired face.

“I’m afraid that I haven’t yet come to a decision about where the key could be,” he said, sorrow and fatigue making itself known in his voice, “And we can’t afford to delay our search for the rest of the keys any longer.” He braced his hands against his makeshift desk, glaring down at all the parchments that covered it, probably hoping that they would just give him the answers. I came and stood beside him, resting my hips against the edge of the desk.

“We’ll just have to hope we find the Bolt Key while we’re looking for the others,” I told him, observing him warily out of the corner of my eye. He looked worse close up. There was a tension in his neck, dark circles beneath his eyes, and the claws of his SpiritLooms dug deep furrows into the wood.

“Exactly,” he said, startling me a bit with the sudden steadiness of his words, “I _did_ translate the ruins relating to the Icicle Key though.”

“Great!” I exclaimed, feeling some of the apprehension in the air dissipate, “We’ll find that _and_ Riadne. Then we’ll find the Bolt Key. Then we’ll find the others. _Then_ we’ll get in the gate!” The plan seemed simple enough to me. There weren’t that many more keys to find and I knew that having Riadne back would make Tomix feel better. I was willing to do whatever was necessary.

 

“Well, the Icicle Key is supposed to be in here…” Tomix said slowly. We stood side by side before the prison; a massive structure of black stone that stretched into the darkness above. The Black Tower Penitentiary, a place famous for its horrible treatment of inmates, now controlled by the armies of the ChaosWeavers. I felt sorry for whatever poor bastard ended up here. Actually…

“You know…” I pondered, “I bet there’s a good chance Riadne’s in here too.” Tomix whipped his head and looked at me intently. “This town belongs to the ChaosWeavers now. I’m sure they’re the ones who kidnapped her. What better place to keep a prisoner-“

“Than a prison!” Tomix finished for me, his eyes lighting up, “Karin, you’re brilliant!” No lie, I flushed a little at his compliment.

“Well, maybe not _brilliant_ ,” I said, rubbing my nose in embarrassment, “but I do come up with good ideas from time to time. This one time I-“

“Karin?” Tomix called. I shot him a glare; it’s very rude to interrupt someone when they’re trying to tell a story. Tomix just raised an eyebrow and gestured towards the prison’s reinforced front door. I felt like smacking myself. _Nice going hero_ , I chided myself, _that’s the second time you’ve started rambling when there’s something pretty damn important you’re supposed to be doing_.

“Oh, that?” I scoffed with forced bravado, “That’ll be easy! I have many ways to get through that door. Why, just let me flex for a few moments and then I’ll show you just how-“ Tomix interrupted me a second time just as I was making a show of cracking my neck and shoulders by holding me back with an arm already radiating with energy. “No time for that. Stand back!” lightning lanced from his fingertips, striking the door and blowing them open hard enough for the heavy wood to slam against the walls with a loud bang. Tomix smirked at my dropped jaw and gestured me through saying, “After you, my friend.”

I started forward but quickly stopped, suddenly realizing what I was doing. With my hands on my hips, I turned and stared the man down. “You just want me to draw the attention of any lurking monsters, don’t you?” I asked.

“Yes.” Well, had to give him points for honesty.

“I can do that!” I conceded. Besides, it would be fun. I drew my sword and sprinted headlong into the prison screaming “Chaaaaaaarge!” with Tomix close on my heels.

The moment was unfortunately short lived. The door slammed shut with a sense of finality, followed by a loud ominous click.

“That didn’t sound good,” I said, “Was that…?”

“The door…” Tomix finished, attempting to pull the door open again and failing, “It’s locked…” Again, he lashed out with violet lightening, and the door seemed to retaliate by making three more loud and incredibly unnecessary clicks. I gave the door an incredulous stare.

“I think you just locked it MORE.” I told him and Tomix sighed heavily.

“We’ll have to find another way out.”

“But first, let’s take care of finding the key and Riadne.”

“I hope she’s not hurt…” Tomix sounded so sad, and it was getting really hard to stand. I WOULD help him get her back! I could only hope that we found her and the key soon; I didn’t want to be stuck in this creepy prison for longer than I needed to.

My impressive entrance did a pretty good job of attracting lurking monsters though. As soon as the echoes from the locking door had stopped bouncing off of the stone walls, they descended upon us. ChaosWeaver Guards, enormous spiders and poisonous looking mushrooms poured into the hallways until the entire world seemed to writhe and chitter with insects. It would be an understatement to say that I was deeply disturbed. I’d never been a fan of bugs, mostly because a lot of the bugs I came across tried very hard to kill me. That, and they were just plain creepy.

The guts started to fly even faster than the bugs could keep up. Green fluids painted the walls as Tomix and I cut a gory path through the monsters. Blades both sliver and violet flashed with identical intensity, and it took a while for those brain-dead arachnids to finally realize that things were going very badly for them. They began to retreat in droves until the only ones left behind were either too stupid or too stubborn to care. Tomix and I were quick to relieve them of their legs. At last, the corridor fell silent. We panted for breath, trying to get our bearings. We had left the front door far behind, wandering in our fight into the long hallway lined with rusty jail cells. Some of the bars looked as though they had been forced open, whatever was formally inside strong enough to bend the iron and escape. Others were still occupied, but it was far too dark to make out anything other than glowing eyes or a flash of teeth. The rest of the hall was dimly lit by torches made from what looked like candles shoved into human skulls. The candles bathed the corridor in a sickly green light; I felt nauseas just looking at them.

Tomix walked alongside me in silence, hands deep in his pockets and the most somber look on his hard face. No doubt, he was thinking about two things: What would happen to Riadne if we didn’t find her, and what Greed would do if we didn’t find the key. Obviously, thinking wasn’t making him any happier. What I needed to do was make him stop thinking so hard. And nothing did a better job of that than mindless conversation. “Sooooo,” I started, “Where do you think we’re going to find this key in this enormous tower?” Tomix looked up and seemed to remember that I was there. He simply shrugged his shoulders.

“The Key has to be here. The runes on the Equilibrium Gate were very specific.” I thought about that and folded my arms.

“Not TOO specific, or they would have told us WHERE in the Prison to find the Key,” I pointed out, feeling very proud of my observation.

“Karin…”

“I know, I know,” I scoffed, rolling my eyes. Tomix was never going to get used to my amazing skills of deduction. “Stop with the use of stunningly accurate and relevant logical observations because you don’t have a witty quip or ready answer.” I said in exasperation.

“Thank you,” Tomix replied, but I could see that little smile he was trying to hide. _I am soooo good_.

“Yeah, well, you’re welcome.”

The following silence was far more comfortable. It’s always nice to have a friend you like enough to share those comfortable silences with.

Of course, then I forgot that the universe hates me.

I almost didn’t hear the ChaosWeaver Guard that snuck up behind me. Its scythe whistled through the air inches from my ear as I threw myself to the ground. I lashed out with a leg and sent it sprawling before slashing the tip of my sword through its abdomen. Immediately, another took its place, going for my back. I pivoted on my heel and slit its throat before it even got close. Again, at it fell, another was close behind. Soon it became a frantic dance, as more and more ChoasWeavers bore down on me. Past the mob of monsters, I saw Tomix in a very similar predicament. Looking away for that single second cost me dearly.

Being poisoned is the worst. It feels like hot lead crawling through your veins, makes your brain think that up is down and that the world suddenly became a merry-go-round. It’s has the obnoxious ability to make your muscles turn to jelly at the most inopportune moments. So, when the Guard’s scythe sliced through a chink in my armor, I knew I was in trouble. My first reaction was to stab it through the heart. My second reaction was to rip off my shoulder plate. My third reaction was to freak out when I saw the green ooze mixing with the blood that flowed from my shoulder.

The pain was almost instantaneous. My heart stuttered in my chest and my head felt like I had just smashed it against a boulder. I stumbled into the wall as my muscles shuddered, a wave of heat making me break out in a feverish sweat. The world started to swim and I sagged into the stone, feeling every pulse that made the wound throb. The ChaosWeaver lunging toward me seemed to move in slow motion and I was able to muster just enough strength to bat it aside. Of course, the momentum of the action sent me toppling to the ground and I couldn’t conjure up the will to move any longer. I thought I heard Tomix scream for me and I tried to yell back, but all that came out was a pained groan as the poison sent searing heat through my bloodstream. All I could do was curl up into a ball and wait for death.

It never came. I looked up through blurry eyes to find the ChaosWeavers lying motionless in pools of their own blood and Tomix picking his way over them. His gauntlets were dyed with gore. I tried to push myself up on shaking limbs and failed miserably. Sweat dripped from my face as I braced my back to the wall to sit up. Tomix reached me as I slumped against it, breathing hard. Concern plastered his face, even through the sheen of sweat that covered it. “You’ve been poisoned, haven’t you?” he asked, maybe hoping that it wasn’t true.

“What… is it… that obvious?” I joked weakly, wincing as pain shot through my chest. He shook his head, probably wondering how I could make a joke at a time like this.

“We need to get you out of here. Can you walk?” I nodded and he slipped a hand around my back, slinging my arm over his shoulder. I tried my best to pull myself to my feet, but I definitely wouldn’t have made it if Tomix didn’t support me.

“What… about the key? And… Riadne?” He grimaced as I said her name, but kept dragging me along beside him regardless.

“We’ll have another chance to look for the key. And… Riadne has proven that she can take care of herself. Right now, what matters is getting you away from this place. We can’t have you fighting off ChaosWeavers in this condition.” I would have argued, but I knew he was right. I had no way of defending myself, and I couldn’t rely on Tomix to protect both himself and me at the same time. So, I just stumbled along beside him and tried to not pass out. Tomix remained alert for any sign of trouble, but for the time being, it seemed the monsters had had enough of us.

I could feel my strength waning with every step, my breath laboring in my chest. I hung my head and watched the cracked stone floor pass by beneath my feet. The only thing I could think about was how much I didn’t want to die. I sagged more and more into Tomix’s shoulder. _It’s really comfy…_ the thought drifted lazily through my fever-riddled brain. “Come on Karin, you can’t give up yet,” Tomix urged me on. I lifted my head as we passed through a doorway into the Prison’s mess hall. A dead end. Tomix cursed under his breath and prepared to turn around when both of us were sent sprawling, smashed from the side by a ChaosWeaver guard. My head rang like an empty kettle as it struck the stone, the pain magnified by the poison ravaging my body. I lay in a daze as Tomix leapt to his feet to stand protectively over me.

The stars finally faded from my eyes as Tomix and the ChaosWeaver clashed. Seeing my friend trying to keep the beast away from me gave me a surge of energy, briefly clearing the fog from my brain. _C’mon Karin, do something productive instead of just lying there._ With my newfound strength, I started to drag myself across the filthy floor, armor scrapping loudly. As I looked about, I spotted a grate half popped out of its place beneath the far table. Pulling myself toward it, I watched out of the corner of my eye as Tomix and the ChaosWeaver went at each other. Tomix was plainly exhausted, but still fought with such savagery.

Hauling myself up onto the bench, I rested my head on the table’s warped surface. Catching my breath, I looked up… and saw something light blue glinting in a disgusting bowl of green gloop. I reached out with a shaky hand and grabbed it, slowly pulling it from its sticky prison. Clenched between my trembling fingers was the Icicle Key, half covered in what might have once been soup. I couldn’t help the weak smile that split my face. I gathered my breath and shouted “TOMIX!” as loud as I could, raising the key up over my head. I could feel the relief from where I sat. The ChaosWeaver roared until it was cut off by the gurgling of blood in its throat.

“The Icicle Key,” Tomix breathed a relieved sigh as he took the key from me, “thank the gods.”

“Well… would you look at that…” I said, barely able to get my voice above a whisper, “I’m poisoned… and was _still_ able to find the key… and our way out…” I pointed down to the half-open grate and gave him a self-satisfied smile.

“Indeed you did,” he said softly, “now let’s get you out of here. I’ll go down first. I promise I’ll catch you.” He dragged the grate the rest of the way out and disappeared. I sluggishly tumbled from my seat and crawled over to the narrow opening, moving my legs so I would fall through feet first.

“I’m ready!” I called with a croaky voice and waited for Tomix’s confirmation before pushing myself forward into free fall. Damp stone walls rushed passed and I screwed my eyes shut, hoping that Tomix could go on his word. It was a great relief to feel his arms catch me fast a few feet from the ground. “Nice catch…” I murmured, my head still spinning.

When Tomix didn’t set me on my feet and instead started off with me cradled in his arms, I looked up at him through blurry eyes. “You… can put me down… you know,” I told him, though I would be lying if I said that being carried wasn’t nice. He silently shook his head.

“We wouldn’t get out of here very fast with you crawling on your belly, now would we?” he replied. I didn’t have an answer for that.

 

We had only gone a few meters when the colors around me started to blur. My brain felt like it was floating out in The Void and everything was beginning to look… funny. I hadn’t realized when I started to giggle. I think Tomix said something about me becoming delirious and the look on his face made me laugh harder. “Hehe… Tomix you’re soooooooo cute,” I said, leaning heavily into his shoulder and draping my arms around his neck. “Mmmmmhmhm, you smell good,” I emphasized by taking a deep whiff of his jacket.

I squinted up at him and saw that his face had turned bright red. “Aw Tomix, you’re blushing! That’s adorable! It must be because you liiiiike me,” I brought my fingers to his face and let them trail down to his jaw line. The red in his cheeks deepened and he refused to meet my eyes. “Well,” I told him, “I like _you_ too,” I prodded him in the chest to make my point.

An enormous yawn escaped me and I snuggled closer to his neck. “Ah Tomix, I’m tired,” I announced, “I’m gonna go to sleep now, okay? And when I wake up, we’re gonna go have tea and cookies with Lady Celestia…” Darkness began to encroach and it wasn’t long before it swallowed me whole.

 

 

The first thing I noted when I woke up was the pounding headache behind my temples. I groaned and brought the heels of my hands to my eyes. “Ow… What happened last night?” I whined aloud, “Did Cicero drink me under the table again?”

“Not quite,” came a reply, and I looked to the side to see Tomix sitting on a crate nearby, “One of the guards inside the prison managed to poison you. It was a poison used mostly in torture, so it wouldn’t have killed you. I’m glad to see you’ve gotten over it though. How do you feel?”

I slumped back with a loud sigh as I rubbed my temples. “Like I got run over by a herd of Gorillaphants,” I said. Hey, I’m a hero; I deserve the right to complain every now and then. “How long was I out?”

“About eight hours I would say. You developed a fever in the tunnels and were pretty delirious…” he trailed off. For some reason his face flushed a light red.

I raised an eyebrow as he slowly lowered his eyes. _Probably best not to pry_ , I thought, and took the opportunity to examine my wounds. My memory of what happened after the poison hit my bloodstream was pretty hazy, but it would be pretty hard to forget the sensation of the ChaosWeaver slicing through my right shoulder. Tomix had managed to remove the top half of my armor and had bandaged the wound as best he could. The white was already tinged with red and moving my arm only slightly sent a dull pain through my flesh, but at least the poison had worked its way through my system and I hadn’t bled out while I was unconscious. Feeling confident that a good night’s sleep and a couple of Reens’ potions would fix me up, I turned back to Tomix in hopes of filling in some of the gaps in my memory.

“Hey, so we got the key, right?”

“Yes, we got the key.”

“But no Riadne yet?”

He paused for a long time, but he never once broke my gaze to look down sullenly at his hands like I was expecting him to. At last, he sighed. “No. No Riadne yet.”

I pulled myself up until I was sitting on the crates I had been laid on out, grimacing as the pain in my shoulder reasserted itself. The world slid and then righted again and when I blinked the blackness from my eyes I saw Tomix get up. I waved him down with a hand, "I'm fine, I've had worse," I told him and he reluctantly sat back down. "Let's agree that neither of us should get poisoned again, alright?"

"That sounds like an excellent suggestion," he replied, but the smile didn't last for as long as I would have liked. For some reason, I felt guilty, like I should try harder to make him happy. But I knew only one thing would help.

"We'll get her back Tomix, I promise," I said softly. Those deep yellow eyes met mine and I felt something inside of me break. Tomix was sad. Tomix should never be sad. And I wanted to make it so that he would never be sad again.

I looked down and cleared my throat awkwardly, not understanding why it had so suddenly clogged up. "Um, thanks for, ya know, hauling my sorry ass back here. I guess that makes us even."

"Well, you should be thanking me. You weigh a ton." My eyes snapped up to see Tomix still looking at me, but his eyes weren't as sad as they had been.

"It's not me, its the armor!" I retorted with a whine.

"Sure it is," he said. He seemed to be trying rather hard to be more witty, maybe for my sake. I pulled an exaggerated pouty face and chucked one of my stray pieces of armor at him. He ducked smoothly beneath it. When he straightened again, he was smiling. Just a small smile, but a smile all the same.

"Don't be a jerk or I may have to just leave you here and then you would be sad because you would miss me," I scolded him.

"Yes, I probably would," he replied, "You're honestly my best chance at getting through that gate," said gate stood ominously tall and still locked at the far end of the square. "I wouldn't have gotten this far without you."

"Eh, you might have, but it would have been far less entertaining."

"This is true. Of course, my life would also have a significantly lesser amount of bad puns as well."

"Ah. but puns are good for you Tomix," I pointed out, finger in the air, "If I don't make you smile every once in a while, your face will get stuck in that scowl you wear all the time."

I heard him let a huff out of his nose, but he didn't respond. A comfortable, if somewhat heavy, silence fell over us. I found that I couldn't stop looking at him as he stared down at his hands. He tried so hard to fight through the sense of loss he was feeling, but I could still see it in the way he seemed to fold in on himself. He glanced up after a while to see me looking at him.

"What?" he asked.

I shook my head and smiled. "You really should smile more Tomix."

For some reason his face turned bright red and he rubbed at the back of his neck to try and cover it up. "Um, yeah, I will try and work on that."

"Well alright then," I said as I got to my feet, "I'm gonna get going, maybe get this looked at," I shrug my right shoulder and wince as it sends a bolt of pain through my arm. "Ow, yeah, I think I'm definitely gonna get this looked at. I'll be back soon though." I put a hand on his shoulder as I walked past and, for a fraction of a second, I feel his hand touch mine. I kept walking but my mind had gone blank.

From behind me I heard Tomix say: "I will see you later then, Karin."

I felt an involuntary smile pull at my lips as I step back through the portal and into the afternoon Falconreach sunlight.

 


	8. The Sewers

"A sewer," I sneered, "why did it have to be a sewer? Eeeeeuuuch!"

"Don't blame me, blame the gate. It said the Aurora Key was supposed to be down here," Tomix replied.

"Yeah, but couldn't it have said that the key was someplace nice? Like a beach? Or a sunny meadow?" I whined, stepping over a puddle of suspiciously green liquid.

"I highly doubt that it would be that considerate Karin," The eye-roll was audible in his voice. I snorted in reply.

"Well, it should be," I ignored Tomix's resigned sigh. I was on a roll, and the pity-party train stops for no one! "I do a lot for people! Is it too much to ask, just once, for a mission in someplace pleasant?!"

This got a breathy laugh out of the SoulWeaver, "You've been doing this for how long, and you're still not used to these environments?"

"I _am_ used to them," I crossed my arms and pouted, giving the evil-eye to the bubbling sludge in the canal below, "that doesn't necessarily mean I have to like it though!"

"Fair enough-" he suddenly turned and thrust his arm over my shoulder, earning an insectile squeal from the Underachnid that had snuck up behind me, splashing my back with green gore, "-but at the same time, no one likes a whiner."

He was standing awfully close. I hadn't been aware of the darker rings of gold around his irises. He smelled of dust and magic. My heart jumped into my throat and I quickly stepped around him to keep walking. "The sooner we find that key, that faster we can get out of here!" Did my voice always sound so high? _Oh my god, what is WRONG with me?!_ My face burned beneath my fingers. Luckily, the monsters that began to descend on us in hordes was a good distraction from my puzzling reaction to Tomix's closeness.

Spiders and insects chased us down the sewer's damp corridors, one of which was curiously draped with copious amounts of blood red fabric. It culminated in a room that gave the disturbing impression of a room, within which a familiar figure in a red hood raised a hand black as coal to wave at me. I was almost tempted to wave back before Tomix grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

"Karin, look!" I follow Tomix's finger to the end of the corridor, where light filtered down through a manhole to illuminate a ladder. But that wasn't what he had noticed. Tucked away in a small shelf at the top of the wall was a golden key.

"Finally!" I cried, slumping in relief. We probably hadn't been down in the sewer that long, but it certainly felt like an eternity. "Now we just have to get it down," I slapped him in the arm, "I think you can handle that bit, can't you?" Tomix's eyes narrowed in determination.

"Just you watch me," he growled and his hands started to glow.

"Wait, Tomix! Don't-!" Violet lightning clashed against the wall and dust showered down onto our heads relentlessly as the walls and floor of the sewer began to shake.

Tomix cursed and was already moving when he shouted to me, "I'll get the key, you get out of here!"

"Tomix!" I reached for him when the ceiling suddenly sagged. I pulled back just as there was a crack like thunder and stone crashed down from above, covering my face to block the bits of rock that pinged off my armor. Coughing as the cloud of dust settled around me, I looked around with wide eyes only to find that Tomix had vanished beneath the crush of rock. "TOMIX!" I screamed, scrambling over the heap of stone and keeping an eye open for my companion. "TOMIX! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" I almost sobbed in relief when a pained groan rose from pile. I followed it to where I saw the shape of Tomix's hand sticking up out of the rock. I gently covered his hand with mine and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"…Karin?" Tomix's voice was muffled and weak, but he was still alive.

"Tomix, don't move!" my voice wavering as I held back tears, "Well, you can't move right now, I know, but don't even try!" I squeezed his hand again before letting go, "I'll be back with help as soon as I can!" Even as I scaled the ladder up to the surface I couldn't help but think, _Where in Lore am I going to find help down HERE?_

I knew my search was fruitless as I ran through the dark streets of Ravenloss, looking frantically for anyone who could help and only finding more things that wanted to kill me. My hope had all but dried up when the alley was illuminated in a flash of violet light. For a moment my heart leapt and I half expected to see Tomix standing there with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face when I turned the corner. What I found instead was Aspar and my elation rotted into dread in my stomach. His fuchsia eyes turned to me and an eerie grin spread over his features. I swallowed the lump in my throat and approached him.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Karin Tomix's newest boon companion," he floated just high enough to make it feel as though he were looming over me, "Did you _need_ something? Find something you couldn't _handle_ down there? Hmmmm?"

_I thought he was supposed to be KIND_ … I thought bitterly, _But I've got to swallow my pride, for Tomix's sake._ "Yes!" I didn't even try to keep the impatience out of my voice, "Tomix needs help! He's buried under a pile of rocks down there, and I can't shift him. I'm afraid anything I'll do will hurt him more!" I bit back a sneer, "Please!"

"But of course!" he said, as though insulted that I would consider anything else, "What kind of friend would I be otherwise? Lead the way!"

The spirit followed me silently as I led him back through the alleys of Ravenloss to the sewer entrance. The sight of Tomix's limp hand sticking up out of the stone made the breath catch in my throat. Aspar brushed past me to study the stone heat. He gave me a pointed look.

"Sometimes, Hero, to be kind you must cause pain. Watch," the spirit raised a hand and filled the caved-in sewer in violet light. The stones began to shake before violently flying apart with the force of an explosion. Beneath the crack of stone on stone I could have sworn I heard a pained scream. The settling dust revealed Tomix half-submerged in the green water. I rushed to his side and took his face in my hands. He was paler than usual, but his wheezing breath was enough to convince me that he wasn't too badly hurt. I sighed with relief… until the purple particles emitting from his spirit looms caught me eye. In dismay, I traced the long cracks that had been etched into the length of the gauntlets, releasing little motes of violet light. Beneath the damaged metal, Tomix's skin looked black.

"Oh, Tomix," I whispered, brushing a silver lock from his face. His eyes were screwed shut in an expression of agony. Grasping him beneath the arms, I pulled him from the water. I felt Aspar hovering over my shoulder and suppressed a shudder. "Thank you, Aspar," I told him before he could make a comment, "now I need to get him out of here."

It was a bit of an ordeal pulling Tomix's limp form up the ladder and back into the city, but eventually I had him firmly cradled in my arms as Aspar and I walked back to the gate. "Well buddy, now we're _really_ even," I told him through gritted teeth, "Damn, you'd think a guy who eats as little as you would weigh less." I shifted him, only to stop when I heard him groan. Immediately I set him down, cradling his head on my lap. "Tomix?" I said softly, "Tomix? Can you speak?"

His eyelids fluttered for a moment before yellows eyes struggled to focus on me. "…What happened?" he slurred. I gave him a gentle smile.

"You got the Key. And a HUGE headache," I touched the lump that had grown on his head and his face tightened in pain. "But thanks to…" I looked over my shoulder at the violet spirit standing uncomfortably close, "…Aspar… you aren't hurt anymore than you had to be." Tomix's eyes shifted unsteadily to look to his SoulAlly.

"Aspar is so good to me… thank you… my friend," he mumbled and I could feel the spirit's smug grin burning on the back of my head.

"Shhhh," I cooed, brushing my fingers through his hair to try and relax him, "We will get you back to the gate, and you can rest." Tomix's eyes began to droop and soon he was sound asleep again. As I gathered him up, I felt a shiver wrack my spine from Aspar's malicious gaze.

 

 


	9. Altar Hill

"So… I take it this is the place?" I said conversationally as we sat, pinned to the tree line beneath the shadow of a huge pyramid. ChaosWeavers were congregated at its base, voices raised in a loud chant in their strange and guttural language that echoed eerily through the cavern. The sound had drawn the two of us from Ravenloss, getting louder and louder until it drowned out every other sound and we had to shout to hear each other. The top of the pyramid shined with a bright violet light that cast everything below it into a sickly purple haze. A single ChaosWeaver stood beneath it at the structure's summit, arms raised to the darkness and voice shouting out louder than all the rest.

"Yes, Karin, I do believe we've found it," Tomix replied shortly. His temper was especially short today, not that I could blame him. He'd nearly been crushed to death in the sewers before, leaving the long cracks in his SpiritLooms and the goose egg on his head. He looked like he hadn't been sleeping again.

I tried to push my concern away, focusing on scanning the crowds to try and find a way around. Whatever it was they were chanting to, it most likely was very bad and wanted to kill me. I mean, everything wanted to kill me, but that wasn't the point. There were so many ChaosWeavers… clustered around the base of the pyramid like the world's biggest arachnid mosh pit. So many legs… ugh.

I caught a flash of copper out of the corner of my eye. There! A post stuck out of the dirt a ways away from the edge of the crowd and tied to it…

I grabbed Tomix's arm. "Tomix, look!" He followed my finger and his eyes went wide. There was Riadne, a little splotch of orange and purple, tied to the post like a barn animal.

"Riadne!"he nearly yelled in his excitement, fingers tightening against the tree he hid behind. He seemed to drink in her appearance, slumped against the post with her head bowed. His jaw tightened. "We have _got_ to get her out of there."

"And we will. Right now," I told him, pulling his through the trees that skirted the clearing. "The ChaosWeavers are distracted with their little tea party. This may be our only chance." Tomix simply nodded and followed me as we spiraled down toward the base of the pyramid. It was slow going; the closer we got the denser the ChaosWeaver population became. Several times we had to stop and press ourselves against the tree trunks a ChaosWeaver passed by too close for comfort. We had lost sight of Riadne, and I had to work off my memory to try and find the post she was tied to. I was practically holding my breath by the time we got there, sure that a single noise would bring the whole horde down on our heads.

"Where is she?" I nearly jumped when Tomix breathed in my ear.

"What?" I whispered back, craning my neck to see over the foliage. The post stood abandoned, ropes left in a heap around it. Riadne was nowhere in sight.

"Psssst!" came a hiss from a bush nearby. "Tomix! Karin!"

Riadne's copper head poked out through the leaves and gave us a broad grin.

"Riadne!" I exclaimed, only for the two of them to quickly shush me. I covered my mouth and muttered out a 'sorry'.

"I'm- we're so glad to see you!" Tomix stuttered in a whisper and the woman blushed.

"Do you know what's going on?" I hissed, beckoning her over. Riadne's moved quickly, rustling the brush, and grabbed onto my outstretched hand, letting me pulled her into the safety of the trees.

"I think so," she replied, brushing twigs from her hair. "From what I understand, the High Priest," she gestured to the lone ChaosWeaver on top of the pyramid," is communing with their Queen, a gigantic ChaosWeaver female."

I couldn't help but groan. "A giant spider…" I moaned, "Why did it have to be a giant spider?" Tomix gave me a half-hearted pat on the shoulder.

"How did you escape?" He asked, "We were coming to rescue you."

"Actually Tomix, we didn't even know she was here…" I murmured and the friendly pat turned into a warning smack that told me to shut my mouth. I supposed that now wasn't the time.

"I knew you would!" Riadne said, her smile turning somewhat shy. "But I couldn't just sit there and do nothing! I knew if you weren't here, I'd have to come and find you."

I smacked Tomix back. "See Tomix? I told you we'd find her! We're very glad you're unhurt."

Riadne's smile faltered and she leaned back, rubbing her arm. "Well… not _un_ hurt," she said quietly and I felt Tomix tense up beside me. Her smile came back as quickly as it left, though, as she continued. "But that's not important. I'm here now, and that's what _is_. It's time we took these chaotic cretins down, and I want to be a part of it!" In an instant all signs of weakness disappeared and a fire burned in her violet eyes. I knew that look; revenge. The ChaosWeavers had hurt her and she wanted to hurt them back. "Let me fight with you! Arachnomancy is _not_ a passive art, believe me." She was talking directly to me, I realized, looking for approval.

I felt a wicked grin spread across my face. She wanted to hurt the ChaosWeavers, and I was more than happy to help her do it. "Oooh, yes!" I told her, "Yes, you are more than welcome to fight with us What do'ya say, Tomix?" I nudged him in the shoulder and he started, looking flustered.

"I-I would be honored if you would fight alongside me…" he stammered, cheeks tinged pink.

_Geez, what is wrong with him today? Must have hit his head harder than I thought_ , I thought to myself. I gripped both of them by the shoulder and pulled them close, whispering conspiratorially. "Well, then," I said darkly, "Let's grasp the Flyswatter of Annihilation +5 and swat these overgrown arachnids down!"

Tomix rolled his eyes, but Riadne looked as excited as I felt, and already I could feel the battle-rush coming on. "Just follow my lead," I told them, standing slowly, drawing my sword and pressing myself into the shadow of the trees, moving silently forward until the ChaosWeavers came back into view. The moment one passed close enough I sprang, driving my blade through the back of its neck and out the front. Acid green blood exploded outwards, splashing against it's friends. A scream rippled through the crowd as I threw its corpse to the ground and answered with a shout of my own. Tomix and Riadne took that as signal and melted from the trees behind me. Riadne was wielding a tall scythe, its blade woven from silky thread, that she had apparently pulled from thin air. Tomix's face was lit from below by the glow of his SpiritLooms, casting his face into a sinister light. We probably looked pretty terrifying. Just the way I like it.

I gave another shout and dove into a crowd that scattered like flies, fear and confusion making them panic. A few tried to slow us down, fumbling with weapons that were never fast enough to block an incoming blade or blast of magic. The three of us cut a bloody swath through the ever-thinning crowd, using the confusion to our advantage. We hit the bottom of the pyramid and started to climb. The violet light grew more intense, the High Priests voice booming out the higher we got.

Now the ChaosWeavers were rallying, soldiers swarming up the other sides to try and cut us off. I clashed with one, sword caught on its sickles as the ChaosWeaver bore down on me from a few steps higher. There was a flash of violet and the soldier was tossed clear of its spindly legs and into one of its comrades. I had just enough time to share a grateful look with Tomix before he disappeared back into the fray.

We fought to keep the height advantage, dipping in and out of each other's fights to help out. One of my throwing knives caught a ChaosWeaver in the back as it tried to sneak up on Riadne. Riadne came whirling in like a dervish when I was trapped against a pillar by three others, slicing them to ribbons with a sweep of her scythe. Tomix moved almost to quickly to see, Soul Claws flickering in the ruddy light and painting the steps with gore. All the while we never stopped moving, getting closer and closer to the summit where the High Priest still chanted in that twisted, guttural voice.

Finally, we could see him, standing before a wide altar with ceremonial daggers held in clawed wands and a widow mark on his back.

"HEY BUG-BUTT!" Riadne shouted over her breathlessness and the Priest suddenly stopped, turning burning red eyes and a mouth crammed full of teeth in our direction.

"Djyouuuuu!" He roared, spittle flying from mandibles that mangled his speech into a barely comprehensible accent. "The shpy and the shoulweaver and the hero! I vill take care of djyou for mine Mistress!"

"Hoo, buddy, you kiss your mother with that mouth?" I quipped. That would be a _very_ disturbing kiss.

The priest snarled, flipping the daggers around in his hands and lunged for me with a scream of "DIE!".

I rolled out of the way and let him sail past me, watching as Tomix and Riadne did the same. The priest skidded down the onto the steps, quickly gaining his balance with all of those legs, and charged at Riadne. Her scythe swept his feet out from under him, but he bunched up his legs and rolled away before he could find himself skewered on the curve of her blade.

Tomix's claws draw the first blood, dragging across the carapace of the priest's back before he danced out of the reach of the daggers swiped at his stomach. The Priest hissed as green spilled out over the widow mark. The air around his hands began to crackle with black and red lightning. He was suddenly much faster than before, and I barely had enough time to raise my sword before the daggers met it. The magic boiling around the blades sent a jolt through my hands on the hilt, and I wasn't fast enough before a fist smashed into my stomach. Electricity coursed through my armor and I felt my heart give a stutter. My vision whited out for a moment as my body went numb. I vaguely registered a hand on my shoulder and the rest of my body got the memo that I wasn't dead. Sight and sound came rushing back as I shook my head.

"Are you alright?" Tomix was saying, shaking me by the shoulder slightly. In the background, Riadne held off the priest with furious sweeps of her scythe. I patted his wrist, nodding absently.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a little bit of a shock." My head twitched on my neck and Tomix didn't look convinced. "Really, I'm okay," I told him, shaking my hands to get the feeling back into my fingers, and let him help me to my feet. "Go help Riadne!" I said, shooing him away. He went, slowly at first but more eager when he heard the Arachnomancer cry out in distress. The priest had knocked her scythe from her hands, one of which she clutched in pain.

I took a quick stock of the situation. We were alone on top of the pyramid with the High Priests. The ChaosWeavers we hadn't killed had run off. It was three on one; this was supposed to be easy, but it was taking far too long. It was time to end this. I shook the last of the numbness from my fingers and jumped up onto the altar. Tomix had held off the priest long enough for Riadne to retrieve her scythe and the two of them were tag teaming pretty well. The priest was trapped between me and them.

I gave a short whistle that Tomix caught and passed on with a look to Riadne. She seemed to catch on as well, as she suddenly stopped with her wide elegant sweeps and snapped the blunt end of her weapon's shaft into the priest's face. He hadn't been expecting that, and his head snapped back as it made contact with his nose with a sharp cracking sound. Dazed, he could do nothing as Riadne caught him in the curve of her scythe, pulling him back and behind her where Tomix was waiting with a fist-full of violet light. Again, the priest's face met with an unstoppable force and he was flung back towards me. This had turned into quite the morbid game of ping pong. The priest collided with the side of the altar, the force flipping him unto on top of it and right at my feet. He blinked blearily at me, blood leaking through his teeth. I gave him a wink before ramming my sword through his chest, impaling him to the altar.

"The eight-legged freaked will weave no more!" I shouted, holding my hands up.

"Wow, we actually squashed him," Tomix said, trying to shake the gore from his hands, but he was smiling beneath the sweat.

"I'd like to thank the academy!" I said, taking a deep bow from atop the altar, "And all the little people who helped me get here!"

Tomix rolled his eyes. "Get down from there," he scolded me good-naturedly.

I stuck out my tongue, but climber down from the altar anyway. "Spoil Sport."

"Um, Tomix? Karin?" Riadne spoke from the edge of the platform, her head craning to look up into the darkness of the cavern. Her eyes were wide. "Did you forget _what_ he was praying to?"

Something unfolded itself from the dark ceiling, unspooling legs like trees limbs that shook the earth when they touched it. The ChaosWeaver Queen looked down at them with cold violet eyes, a mane of silver flowing around black armored shoulders.

"Oh, oh my…" Riadne said, shrinking away, "It's…"

" _Enormous_ ," Tomix finished for her, awe in his voice.

"Um, Karin?" I turned to see Riadne looking at me expectantly. What did she want _me_ to do about it?! The only way you could fight something that big is with something equally as bi-

Oh.

I scoffed, quickly replacing the blank stare I had given her. "Psh. Please, do you guys forget who I am?" I turned and glared up at the Queen. "I have a dragon!" I reminded them, "Cyrus and I will squish her, easy!" Except Cyrus wasn't there.

"Give me a sec," I murmured, walking briskly to the edge of the platform in the direction I remember the portal being. I touched a hand to my chest where, beneath my armor, the little pendent sat. The little gold dragon clutching a ruby in its claws. My Dragon Amulet. I felt it pulse, right next to my heart, and I felt the connection take hold. I raised my thumb and forefinger to my lips in _whistled_ with a sound I _knew_ he could hear. The connection sparked and I felt his eagerness, growing stronger the closer he came.

There was the sound of leathery wings beating the air, starting out quick and regular like a bat and steadily becoming longer as wings stretched out, growing with the strength of our connection.

There was a tremendous roar and Cyrus reared out of the darkness, a fully grown, titanic dragon whose blue scales shown like the sky against the black. Obsidian claws lashed out at the Queen as he swept by, sending her screeching away and giving him room to circle once around the pyramid and land with the crunching of stone beneath his claws. A yellow, slit-pupiled eye the size of my head blinked at me and Cyrus rumbled warmly, pushing his long snout against my chest.

" _Hi Karin_ ," he said in a voice that reverberated in my head and in my chest. I pressed my cheek against his scales, feeling the tension that was always there when we were apart finally relax in my stomach.

"Hi Cyrus," I replied, "You wanna help me kill something?"

Cyrus grinned, showing of a row a sharp curved teeth, eyes gleaming with childlike excitement. " _Yeah! It's been forever since we killed something!_ "

I laughed. Seeing Cyrus fully grown like this, it was easy to forget that he was still a baby. "Let's get to it then!" I looked over my shoulder to talk to Tomix and Riadne and nearly laughed again to see them backed up against the altar, eyes wide. "Get underneath the altar you two," I told them, "Cyrus and I will take care of this." They both nodded slowly, as though in a daze, and Tomix helped Riadne into the little nook beneath the altar. He cast a look in my direction and I flashed him a smile. He didn't need to worry; I was with my dragon again.

Reaching up, I grabbed hold of one of Cyrus' long black horns and pulled myself up onto his neck. " _Are those your friends?_ " he asked, watching them squeeze under the altar.

"Yeah," I said, settling myself against his shoulders. "I'll introduce you to them afterwards, okay?"

" _Okay,_ " Cyrus rose to his feet and ruffled his wings. I could his muscle tense up with pent-up energy. " _So what are we killing?_ "

"Well, you remember that giant spider you bitch-slapped on your way up here?"

" _That's it?_ "

"That's it. You ready to go buddy?" I patted his neck and Cyrus gave a sharp-toothed grin.

" _Born ready."_ With a roar, Cyrus beat his wings and took off from the pyramid. I dug my fingers into his scales and answered his roar with my own as he soared up above the dusty city. Sitting on Cyrus' back as he flew never ceased to take my breath away. It made me feel alive, complete. We were two halves of a whole, and together we were unstoppable. My own sharp grin spread across my face and I shouted my elation to the world. What a rush!

The Queen was ready to meet us, blood dripping from the claw marks across her chest. Her violet eyes blazed with fury and she shrieked as Cyrus skirted around her, taking a swipe that missed him by a mile. Cyrus took a breath, heat glowing deep in his throat. As we took another pass, he released it in a jet of flame that burned yellow as the sun. The Queen bellowed as the tips of her hair caught fire, thrashing with her legs are she tried to put it out. Cyrus' tail whipped as he wheeled around, catching her across the face with the barbs on the tip and sending her crashing across the battlefield.

The air crackled as the Queen stumbled to her feet. Violet light built around her hands and wreathed around her head, snapping like lightning. Little orbs formed around her body and shot away like bullets. Cyrus twisted in midair, avoiding the bulk of the projectiles, but there were too many to dodge altogether. He growled as they impacted with his chest and I grunted as I felt the echoes of his pain burst across my own body through our connection. The orbs began to come faster, and larger in size. Cyrus countered with little fireballs, spat with enough accuracy to hit the orbs in midair, detonating them before they could do any more damage.

We were a brilliant blue streak against the darkness now, weaving through the starbursts of collided magic to bear down on the Queen. Just before Cyrus dug his claws into the ChaosWeaver's shoulders, I left my perch and sprinted up his neck, using our forward momentum to launch myself from the crown of his head, up and over the Queen to land rolling onto the hard shell of her thorax. I plunged the tip of my sword between the seams of her armor plating and dragged the blade along it, drawing a line in green blood that spurted from between the plates. The Queen gave a howl trying to shake off both myself and Cyrus at the same time and failing pretty magnificently.

She eventually seemed to get the idea though. No sooner than I had allowed myself a triumphant smile, violet lightning began to arch across her shell. I felt the tingling of magic through my boots. I needed to get out of there. "CYRUS!" I shouted over the wails as I started to run. Magic was sending pins and needles up through my legs by the time I finally threw myself from her back, trusting wholeheartedly in my companion to catch me. Claws closed around me just as gravity took hold and suddenly I was going sideways, safely enclosed in the dragon's paws.

" _You alright?"_ Cyrus asked as I poked my head out between his claws. I grinned up a him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I looked back under his belly to the Queen thrashing in agony behind us. "She doesn't look like she is though." The ChaosWeaver was bleeding profusely now, leaking green from the torn ribbons of her chest and shoulders and back. Her silver hair was shorted, singed black at the tips. Her violet eyes blazed with fury and she shrieked, legs stomping as she readied to charge.

" _Time for the final blow!"_ Cyrus rumbled, lifting me up so I could climb back onto his shoulders.

"Give it all you've got buddy!" I shouted, drawing my sword and holding it aloft, lending my battle cry to his roar. Cyrus beat the air with his wings, fire glowing in his chest, and we barreled towards the Queen. ChaosWeaver and dragon met in a furious clash that I felt in my bones. Cyrus opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of fire onto the Queens head. Cyrus put every ounce of breath into that fire, holding the stream for nearly a full minute, bathing the writhing Queen in white-hot flame. She thrashed and screeched, trying to buck him off, but Cyrus had her pinned beneath his claws. The only thing she could do was wait for the flames to die.

Eventually the torrent snuffed out, leaving Cyrus heaving for breath. I could feel his exhaustion as deeply as my own, but we weren't quick done yet. The Queen still stirred feebly at his feet, her once magnificent armor reduced to charred and twisted metal. Cyrus placed a claw on her chest, reveling for a brief moment in the carnage, before his head snapped down and tore into the Queen's throat.

She gave one last gurgling cry and fell still, all eight of her legs sliding to the ground around her. At last, the ChaosWeaver Queen was dead. I breathed a sigh of relief, wincing as the echoes of Cyrus' pain blossomed across my body. All things considered, he wasn't too badly hurt, but his fatigue weighed down on me like a thick blanket. Cyrus shook his head, spat green gore from between his teeth, and took off heavily into the air, angling himself back towards the pyramid.

I slid from his back the moment he touched down and felt borrowed draconic power seep back into the amulet, where it would lie dormant until it was needed again. Cyrus shrunk rapidly until her was back to the size of a cat, and I caught him in my arms before he stumbled. I cradled him against my chest and smiled tiredly as his snout stretched in a wide yawn, little teeth still stained with green.

"You sleepy Cyrus?"I asked. He nodded and snuggled his head against my shoulder.

"You did so good today!"I told him, hugging him close. "Who's the cutest little World Destroyer ever?"

He blinked sleepily and grinned. " _I am!_ " he announced, tossing his paws in the air. I giggled. He was just so gosh darn cute.

"That's right; you are!" I said and leaned down so he could rub my forehead with his. "I have to take care of a few things, but after that I promise we'll go home, okay?" Cyrus just nodded and I let him crawl up and sprawl across my shoulders, the tip of his tail curling around my bicep.

I stifled a yawn of my own and walked over to the alter, smacking the top of it a couple of times to get the attention of the two underneath it. Riadne poked her head out and grinned widely, her eyes wide was awe.

"You were _wonderful_!"She breathed, stumbling out of the small space with Tomix in tow.

"Yes Karin," he said, brushing off his coat, "if I'm being honest, you make me wish I had a dragon." He looked at Cyrus dozing on my shoulders and smiled, shaking his head. "But that is not for me. I have my own path to follow."

"Remind me to introduce you to Cyrus a little later. Little guy's all tuckered out," I said, giving the little dragon an affectionate scratch behind the ears. "And quite frankly so I am. It takes a lot to sustain his adult form for such a long time. Ugh, I feel like I could sleep for a week."

"Well, try not to," he told me, "We still have the rest of the keys to find."

"Oh! Oh oh oh!" Riadne cut in, bouncing on her heels with sudden energy. "Toooooomix! Do you know what I found while we were hiding?"she said teasingly, a big grin spreading across her face. With a flourish she pulled a large key from her sleeve and held it above her head. "Ta-da!"

"It that a Key?" I asked taking a step closer only to immediately take it back. The key was all black and violet, a massive eye swiveling madly within the bow surrounded by little wriggling tentacles. "That thing looks terrifying." How did Riadne even stand holding that thing?

'That's the Void Key!" Tomix snatch the key from her hands when she presented it to him, looking incredulously between it and her. "Riadne, I could…could… _kiss_ you!" The moment the words left his mouth he slapped the hand not holding the key over it, pale face turning a deep crimson.

Riadne giggled, turning red herself. "You should probably wait until I've had a bath, Tomix" she said softly. They looked away from each other, both blushing furiously, until I felt the uncomfortable urge to do the same. I cleared my throat loudly, turning to descend down the side of the pyramid.

"Well, I dunno about you, but I think a bath sounds like a marvelous idea!" I said, not stopping to hear if they were following. "Let's get that 'Key' back to the gate, so I can go take a nap!" I tired to ignore the twisting in my gut as I led the way back to the gate. We saved Riadne, killed the Queen, and found another key! Tomix finally seemed happy again! Everything was going great!

Right?

 


	10. At the Gate

I covered a wide yawn with the back of my hand, blinking the sleepiness from my eyes. We had a while before we got back to the Gate, and I was really starting to feel the effects of the fight. My limbs felt heavy and my eyes drooped. Keeping Cyrus in his fully-grown form always took a lot out of me. I would have to go see Lady Celestia about it later, maybe see if there was a way to take some of the strain off. The little dragon, still wrapped around my shoulders, had completely checked out, snoring softly and releasing little puffs of smoke with each exhale.

Tomix and Riadne trailed behind me, close enough that I could hear the murmur of their voices but far enough away that I couldn't make out the words. The temptation to eavesdrop was strong, but I was fairly certain that if I changed my pace at all, I would lose all momentum until I just fall over and not get up again. I yawned again, far past the point of trying to stop it.

I was practically dead on my feet by the time we finally made it back to the city. Tomix discreetly shoved a crate in my direction and I finally took the weight off my feet with a sigh of relief. I could've flopped over and taken a nap right there in the dirt, but I forced myself to remain alert while Tomix took the newly acquired key to the gate. It slid into the lock with the loud _chunk!_ and the mechanism fused, leaving the symbol behind. Only one more to go.

I let out a breath and leaned back. The Gate was very nearly complete. What would we find on the other side and how would we stop Greed from taking it? One thing was for certain; we needed to prepare for what happened next. I glanced over at Riadne, looking a bit worse for wear. She leaned against the side of a building, her face slack and her arms limp. Either the fight at the Altar had taken more out of her than I thought or something was wrong…

_Snap!_ Each of use jumped to attention as the loud sound of splintering wood suddenly shattered the silence. I got to my feet, so fast that I jolted the sleeping dragon on my shoulders into wakefulness.

" _Was happening?_ " Cyrus asked sleepily, lifting his head from his paws. I quickly shushed him and strained to listen. The quiet was filling with a soft tapping that overlapped on itself hundreds of times over. It was a sound that I had heard frequently in my nightmares over the months and that set my skin to crawling. Hundreds upon hundreds of legs, clicking away as a wave of horror approached.

The ground began to shake with their vibrations, stones rattling in the dirt. Adrenaline spiked through my system, washing away the fatigue and replacing it with borderline panic.

"Um, guys?" I called over the rising noise as I inched backward. "We should probably move!"

We barely made it ten feet before ChaosWeavers exploded around the edges of the gate, pouring over rooftops and out of alleys, crying for blood. They caught up to us far too easily and had us fighting to keep from being overwhelmed.

Cyrus leapt from my shoulders, gliding out of the reach of the ChaosWeavers and setting them ablaze with short bursts of fire. Between the reach of my longsword and Riadne's scythe we were able to keep the bulk of them away, and those that got through were quickly taken apart by Tomix. But there were so many of them, and all of them moving forward with a kind of mindless abandon. In fact, their eyes seemed glazed over with confusion and anger.

"They… must be scattering… after the death… of the Queen!" Riadne panted between swings. She was sweating, her face pale and chest heaving.

"Riadne…?" I asked tentatively. She did _not_ look good. A cough racked her body and she nearly faltered.

"They are… trying to get into the Gate!" she cried. Sure enough, the ChaosWeavers that were not part of the mob driving us back were clawing at the wall within the Gate as though they could simply tear through it. Riadne fell back, leaning heavily on the staff of her scythe. "Mustn't… let them…" she gasped weakly before she collapsed to her knees.

"Riadne!" Tomix and I rushed to her side, the SoulWeaver supporting her against his shoulder.

"Riadne?" he called, patting her gently on the cheek, "Talk to me, Riadne!" She looked blearily up at him, eyes glassy.

"What happened to you while you were a prisoner?" I asked, left to fend off the ChaosWeavers that still threatened to trample us. "What did they _do_ to you?"

Riadne coughed again, pain crossing her face. "Their poison… it is slow-acting," she wheezed, "I can feel… the effects beginning to take hold…" Tomix's hands tightened around her arms, jaw clenching, no doubt thinking of revenge. She laid a shaking hand over his. "Don't… worry!" she told him, "I am an Archnomancer… we have inherent powers… to resist poison." She stopped to take a stuttering breath, another cough sending spasms through her body. "I just need… to rest. My body… will fight… it off… by itself…" she trailed off as her eyes slipped closed and she fell limp in Tomix's hold.

"Riadne!" he cried, shaking her slightly, "Come on Riadne, you've gotta wake up!"

A ChaosWeaver slipped past my guard while I watch them and nearly took my head off. I yelped in surprise and backed away to avoid another stab. I grabbed Tomix by the shoulder, brandishing my blade in my free hand to keep the arachnids at bay.

"Tomix, we can't stay here! There are too many of them!" I told him. "We need to leave! Now!"

"But-"

"No buts Tomix!" I nearly shouted, sheathing my sword and bending down, pulling Riadne's limp form over my shoulders before he could protest. "If we stay here, we're _all_ gonna die. Now cover me!"

"Cyrus!" I shouted over the chaos. His head popped up over the crowd and I gestured for him to follow.

Hooking an arm around Riadne's knee and grabbing hold of her opposite wrist, I drew my sword again and started forward, making for the top of the hill where the portal was, slashing away at the ChaosWeavers that got in my way. Tomix followed closely behind, Soul Claws flashing, and Cyrus dipped in and out overhead, torching ChaosWeavers when he could. The further we got from the Gate, the thinner the spiders became and at last we broke free, practically sprinting up the last rise and leaving the ChaosWeavers behind. Those that followed us were swiftly cut down. At last, we were alone.

I set Raidne on the ground, breathing hard and clutching a stitch in my side. Already the adrenaline was draining and all the cuts and bruises reasserting themselves. My abdomen throbbed and I thought back to the shock the High Priest had given me at the altar. Avatars, I was tired. Cyrus practically crashed into the dirt as he landed, yawning widely and promptly curling up and going to sleep.

"If I see another spider," I said, panting, "it'll be too soon."

"We've lost them, I think" Tomix declared, breathing hard himself as he wiped the sheen of sweat from his face. "How's Riadne?"

"Still breathing," I reassured him. "She'll be fine, I'm sure. She's pretty tough."

"I hope you're right…" Tomix sighed, eyes lingering on Riadne before flickering up to meet mine. He looked as tired as I felt. I place a light hand on his arm.

"Hey," I said softly, "it'll be alright. We got her back, that's what matters."

"That's only part of what worries me."

"It's the Gate isn't it?" I chanced a guess. Tomix didn't move, but his eyes told me I was right. "It's still missing a key Tomix. The ChaosWeavers couldn't get in even if they tried."

"The location of the Bolt Key is still unknown," he said. "For all we know the ChaosWeavers have it and are opening the Gate right now! We're running out of time…"

There he went again, always so negative. I opened my mouth to argue and was cut off by a flash of fuchsia light. The back of my neck prickled and I immediately knew who it was: Aspar.

"Hello, my friend," the spirit greeted us calmly, like there wasn't an army of ChaosWeavers just waiting for us just down the hill. I took an unconscious step back.

Tomix seemed to sag with relief. "Aspar! It is so good to see you!" he said, a faint yet tired smile on his lips. "Riadne had been poisoned! Can you help her? Please?"

I remembered when _I_ had suffered at the hands of ChaosWeaver poison. It had been incredibly unpleasant, but I'd gotten over it. Clearly whatever they had dosed Riadne with was much stronger, but I wasn't sure I trusted Aspar with her health. I was suddenly glad that Tomix hadn't bothered to ask when it was _me_ being poisoned.

"Hmm," the spirit hovered close to Riadne's side and I beat down the urge to step between them. _Tomix trusts him_ , I told myself. _If Tomix trusts him, you can trust him_.

"Ah yes, the Archnomancer…" Aspar looked down at Riadne's pale face with an indifferent expression. "Has she told you yet where the last key is?" He asked casually. "We- _you_ must have the Bolt Key!" Tomix didn't seem to catch the slip-up but I did, and it only made me feel more uneasy. Was Aspar planning something?

"N-no," Tomix answered, taken aback by his SoulAlly's demanding tone. Confusion was plain on his face and it hurt to see.

Aspar turned back, gripping Riadne's chin in a harsh grip. My hand twitched towards the pommel of my sword and I had to fight back the urge to lunge for him. "Look at me, little Arachnomancer," his enticing whisper was tinged with venom as he forced her to look at him. "If you want to help your friend, you must speak."

Tomix took a shaking step forward, his trust of Aspar and suspicion of his actions waging war across his face. "Aspar, please, she's too weak, look at her!"

The spirit didn't acknowledge him, keeping his firm grip on Riadne's face as her eyes fluttered open with a weak cough, too drained to even react to the spirit's face so close to her.

"…Greed…" was all she managed to say before her face went slack again.

"No…" Tomix whispered, eyes wide with terrible realization. He turned on his heel and made to sprint full tilt back down into the army of ChaosWeavers when the air suddenly thrummed like a string being plucked. An enormous pillar of light exploded from the center of town, bathing the cavern in a harsh glow. It was blinding after spending so long in the dark and I let out a yelp as my eyes watered, lifting my arms to block out the intense light. Like an immense pressure suddenly released the air pushed outward from the gate, whipping up clouds of dust and cobwebs into a storm that swept over us, the wind so strong it nearly knocked me off my feet.

When finally the dust settled it was quiet. The ChaosWeavers in the valley below had fallen silent, all heads turned towards the radiant purple glow now emanating from the exposed threshold of the Equilibrium Gate.

"…The Gate…" I pointed out rather redundantly. "Someone's opened the Gate…"

A blur of gray and silver sped by me and I flung my hand out just in time to catch Tomix by the arm. "Tomix, no!" I shouted, pulling him back and grabbing hold of his other arm to make sure he didn't go anywhere. He thrashed against my grip for a moment, chest heaving and eyes wild. After a moment he seemed to recognize me through his panic and relaxed only slightly.

"Let go of me Karin," he ordered in a low voice, "I _need_ to go through that Gate!"

"What you _need_ to do Tomix, is calm down for a second," I told him, giving him a little shake for good measure. "Rushing in there right now is only going to get you killed!"

"Greed is in there Karin!" he grated through clenched teeth. "It's only a matter of time before he finds the Judgement Wheel! I _must_ find him before it's too late!"

"Avatars, Tomix, think for a second!" I practically shouted and Tomix froze. I felt a trickle of guilt; that was the second time I had shouted at him today. I took a deep breath and released my hold on his arms, letting it out when Tomix didn't move. "We're in no condition to take down an army Tomix," I said softly. "I know you're determined, but the two of us? Against all those ChaosWeavers? We need a _plan_."

The fire died in Tomix's eyes and his shoulders slumped, defeated. "You're right Karin," he said after a moment, "you're right, of course." He took a breath and straightened up, face trained once more into an expression of cool indifference. I could tell from the tightness of his eyes and the pinch of his mouth that he was anything but. "We should take a moment to send messages Above Ground, round up who we can find to help us. If Riadne is right…" he stole a glance at the young woman still lying unconscious on the ground, "and ChaosWeaver society has fallen apart after the death of their Queen… they will be after us once they get themselves organized." He looked out over the valley teeming with ChaosWeavers.

"And, I suspect, after Greed," he said after a moment. "They may slow him down in his search for the Judgement Wheel. Whatever is beyond the Gate is unknown territory which may make hunting for him difficult." He sighed, crossing his arms. "The task won't be easy."

My lips twisted into a sneer. "Seriously, when is it ever? At least we have something of a plan now. I'll head back to Falconreach, see who I can find." I looked over to where Cyrus was still curled up next to Riadne and sighed. "Better take Cyrus home too. Looks like he'll be out of commission for a while."

Tomix simply nodded. "I too will go. Perhaps gather more SoulWeavers. They would certainly be of help." His eyes slid over to Raidne again, growing soft. "I can't leave Riadne though…"

There was the sound of a throat being deliberately cleared and Aspar drifted back into view. "Tomix, my friend. Are you forgetting _I_ am here?" he said, hand on his chest and a smile on his face. "Leave the girl with me. No harm will come to her."

I immediately bristled. The thought of leaving Riadne alone with the spirit set alarm bells ringing in my head, but once again was diffused by the look of pure relief that crossed Tomix's face.

"Thank you, my friend!" he said. "It is always you that I can count on!" He looked to me expectantly and I awkwardly swallowed the accusations boiling in my throat.

"Yes, Aspar… Thank you, " I managed to say without it sounding too much like I was gritting my teeth, "It is… good… of you to help this way." I took a step forward, fixing the spirit with a cold look. "Watch her well," I said, letting an unspoken warning seep into my voice, "she is our friend."

Aspar merely offered an innocent smile in return as I reach down and scooped up the sleeping dragon. Cyrus grumbled in his sleep, steam escaping from his nostrils as I settled him in my arms.

"C'mon Tomix," I told him, ignoring the feeling of Aspar's smile on my back as I led him to the portal. "We've got work to do."

 


	11. Aegis

"Karin?" I looked up from where I sat among the ruins of Ravenloss far away from the war tents, slowly scrapping a whetstone across the edges of my blade, at the sound of Tomix's voice. It was low and quiet, laced with tension. This was how all of us spoke at the time. It seemed as though the air itself was holding its breath; war was on the horizon. My armor lay on the ground at my feet; I wanted to at least have a  _little_  time out of it before I was forced to fight again.

"What is it Tomix?" I asked, immediately giving my full attention. My eyes scanned over him, hunting for anything in his face or posture that might tell me if anything was wrong. I suppressed a wince as I traced the long jagged cracks that marred his SpiritLooms. If only I had stopped him in time…

But nothing seemed to be amiss. His face, though still tight with stress, was surprisingly calm as he examined me back. There was a curious look in his eye, as though he were considering something.

"I-" he started, taking a step forward. He sighed deeply and took a seat on the remains of a wall direct across from me. He looked me straight in the eye and after a long pause finally continued, "I want to teach you to be a SoulWeaver."

I could only stare at him, my head tilted to the side as though the new perspective would change what he said. "What now?" I asked, placing my sword on the ground, "What brought this on?"

"Something's coming Karin," he said with little hesitation, "We both know it. This may be the only chance I have, you know, just in case something happens…"

"Tomix, nothing is going to happen," I told him sternly, "We'll find Greed and put an end to this and everything will be fine!"

"Your optimism is encouraging Karin," Tomix replied with a smirk that died a little too quickly, "but we both know there's a very good chance that something  _will_  happen. Please? It will help me feel a little bit better about all of this. Besides, you did ask me to show you how I did it." He carefully took my hands in his, obviously trying to convey his anxiousness through contact rather than words. The metal of his SpiritLooms was cold against my bare skin; it occurred to me that this was the first time I had ever actually touched it.

I looked at him for a long time, trying to decipher what was going on behind those yellow eyes. I gave him a warm smile. "Like I could say no to becoming a kickass SoulWeaver," I said, pulling that smirk out of him again, "How do we do this?"

"Well, first you need to find and form a bond with a SoulAlly," he told me. "To do that, I have to send your soul to the Plane of Elemental Spirits, but remember," he squeezed my hands for emphasis, "try to find your SoulAlly as fast as possible. If you are in the Plane of Elemental Spirits for too long, you won't be able to return to your body." I started at his words and nearly pulled away.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, swallowing past the sudden lump that had formed in my throat. Adventures never made me nervous; in fact I relished in the danger. But then, I never went out on my own without at least knowing a little bit about where I was going. This Plane of Elemental Spirits would be completely and utterly alien to me. I didn't know what to expect and that frightened me. Tomix just squeezed my hands a little tighter and smiled encouragingly.

"I have faith in you," he said, "are you ready for this?" I took a deep breath to try and steel my shaking nerves and gave him a confident nod. "Right then, look at me and clear your mind."

His eyes disappeared behind pale lids as he took his own breath. I could feel my heart thud loudly in my chest and I tried my hardest to focus only on Tomix's face and not on how nervous I was. Time seemed to stop, thinning down to that one moment, that space between our clasped hands. And then Tomix opened his eyes.

Black and depthless. A sudden intake of breath and an attempt to pull back. The sensation of falling, down, down, down through an endless tunnel of shadows and light and color.

 

It was so bright. Too bright. My vision was a blur and my body felt light. "Oh…" my voice sounded distant and vaguely like an echo, "What? Where?!" Shape and color slowly swirled into being, a landscape of rolling hills and towering formations taking form. It was almost like the sea during a storm had been captured and frozen in one point in time. It stretched out into the horizon, dotted with tiny groups of figures that looked almost human, each emitting a soft glow of a different color. "Right, right," I mumbled, memories sluggishly surfacing, "The Plane of Elemental Spirits. THAT was a journey I don't want to make too often!"

I moved to stretch what felt like aching limbs when… I didn't have any limbs. It was a strange sensation; like I was there and not there at the same time. I remembered Tomix telling me that it was my soul he was sending to this place. How the hell is a soul supposed to move? I pondered for a moment, trying to adjust to the sensation of weightlessness and light that it appeared I was made of. Experimentally, I tried to imagine what it would be like to place one foot in front of the other on the glassy floor of the Plane and indeed, it passed beneath me with the equivalent distance of a step. I tried again; once more, it seemed as though I moved over the ground.

I felt myself smile even though I was pretty sure I didn't have a mouth to smile with. I removed my attention from the ground and took in the scenery. "This place is… amazing!" I spoke aloud, the sound of my own wispy voice helping my brain to process that this was all real. "Wow, it's so beautiful…" the tall formations appeared like waves ready to break over the surface of water. Ethereal light danced in the air, turning everything into soft shades of gold, blue and green that constantly shifted and swirled like ink in a basin. It was very beautiful, but Tomix's warning quickly reared inside my nonexistent head, "I'd better hurry and locate a potential SoulAlly. I don't want to end up trapped here."

I willed my soul over the rolling hills, moving like the wind; never once touching the ground.

"H-hello?" A small voice called out. Immediately I turned my senses, searching for the owner.

"Who's there?" I called back, allowing my voice to magnify, "I don't see you!" I thought for a moment, "Wait… do I even have eyes right now?"

"Can you h-help me?" the voice answered, trembling slightly with fright, "I'm being chased."

"I'll be happy to help you once I  _find_  you!" I replied, zipping over the next rise. The form of a young girl appeared in the valley below me, alight with a soft orange glow like candlelight. She smiled sweetly and waved me over.

"M-my name is-"

"PANDORA!" the masculine voice rang loud over the dunes, bringing with it a sudden gust that cut through my soul with an icy chill. The spirit jumped with a little squeak and tried to hide behind my light. Looking out, I saw another spirit, this one tall and lean and burning a bright blue like sunlight streaming through ice. His face, framed by a snowy white helm, was stern as he floated swiftly towards us, gloved arms crossed over his chest. "I thought I made it clear before," he scolded the little spirit, "you are to STAY in YOUR domain! You are a threat to the others!" The spirit called Pandora ducked her head beneath his glare, mumbled a meek "sorry", and drifted away.

"She left!" I couldn't help but say, tingeing it with just a bit of accusation directed at the male spirit. He came up beside me and watched her go, a strangely sad expression on his face. He heaved a sigh and fixed me with a deep blue glance from the corner of his eye.

"I'm sorry you had to meet her," he said, "Pandora is… an anomaly. She seems to attract bad luck and misfortune for some reason. You were lucky nothing happened to you."

"Ah, I see," I could only reply.  _How sad_ , I thought,  _she must be very lonely_.

"But where are my manners?" the spirit's voice cut into my thoughts, "My name is Aegis. I don't recognize you, and you're not a spirit."

"I'm Karin, an adventurer of Lore," I told him, not without some sense of pride," I'm here to locate a SoulAlly so that I can train as a SoulWeaver."

His smile was surprisingly warm. "I see. I wish you good luck in finding a SoulAlly! I would offer myself as a possible companion, but…" he sighed deeply once more and looked out over the Plane, "I'm looking for a Hero. Someone I can respect and support."

"Really?" I said, perking up and flying back into his field of vision, "Well then, you're in luck! I AM a he-"

A shrill scream interrupted and Aegis and I turned as one toward the source. "What was that?!"

"Trouble," Aegis quickly replied, determination already setting in on his face. He took off soaring over the hills with me close on his heels. "We're getting closer!" he shouted back to me, not seeming to mind that I was coming along for the ride, "It's over here!"

As we mounted the crest, Aegis came to such an abrupt stop that I would have run into him had I a body. Before him, a crowd a spirits had gathered, trembling. "What is…" Aegis began, his voice full of authority until it suddenly dwindled, "…going…" I followed his gaze as it traveled up what I first believed to be another frozen wave. Boy, was I wrong. Towering over the land, thick saliva dripping from a maw that spilled thick tentacles, was the ugliest creature I had ever seen. "ON!" Aegis finished his delayed sentence as he stared up into the monster's face, his mouth hanging wide open. No doubt, if it had been there, my jaw would have been on the floor.

I could hear Aegis' teeth grinding. "What is Uthuluc doing here?!" he demanded, whirling on the congregated spirits, an accusatory finger pointing at the group that trembled beneath his authority, "How did it escape?! Who released it?!" The crowd suddenly parted, all eyes staring down the little orange form of Pandora. The spirit hung her head, avoiding everyone's eyes, looking guiltier than a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Immediately Aegis deflated. "Pandora…" he groaned, bringing both hands to his face and rubbing at his temples.

"I-it was a m-mistake," she stuttered, so quiet it was almost impossible to hear. Aegis ignored her and turned back to the towering monstrosity.

"Uthuluc is immortal," he said, though I wasn't sure if he was addressing me for just talking to himself, "We CAN'T kill it. But I suppose… I could seal it. Or perhaps banish it. If I'm lucky."

"Aegis!" I called before he could move, "Let me help you. In my world I'm considered a Hero. I can assist you! You don't have to face this thing alone." Aegis' face was skeptical as he looked me up and down. He almost seemed amused.

"That's good to know, but in your current state… I don't think you will be able to do much. I appreciate the offer though."

"I mean, my body is… with me… that is, with the soul… together… body and soul… oh, bother." I finally grasped what he was saying to me. Yeah, a little bobbing ball of light could totally help banish a two-hundred-foot-tall monster from the depths of an alternate dimension. If I had hands, I would have smacked myself. Aegis merely smiled and launched himself high into the air, headed straight for the creature's dripping jaws. I couldn't help but grumble to myself, "I do NOT like standing back and doing nothing… just  _watching_  while someone else takes care of the monsters."

Meanwhile, high above, Aegis battled the ancient monster. He swung the amulet dangling from his wrist like a bludgeon, and wherever it hit the beast's scaly skin, ice erupted in frozen blossoms. The spirit swarmed over the creature and it wasn't long before the entire thing was frozen solid within a glacier the size of a mountain. Aegis landed lightly beside me. "And done," he said, as though he had just finished a mild work out, "He should remain frozen for at least a century." I had to admit, it was some good handiwork. The thing  _almost_  looked tolerable behind a thick sheet of glossy ice. The other spirits had already drifted away; Pandora was nowhere to be seen.

I felt Aegis' frosty gaze. "Um, yes?" Again, it felt like he was examining me. Was being in soul form like being an open book? Could Aegis already see everything about me?

"Karin…" he started slowly, "You said you are a Hero. Are you a  _good_  Hero? Helpful? What kind of deeds have you done?"

"Am I a-" at first I couldn't comprehend why he had asked me that question, "Of course I am! I have a destiny and I'm trying to live up to it!" I could feel my emotions rising, like I needed to prove something to him. "I  _will_  save the world with my dragon! Help the good people of Lore, drive away the bad… I will!" I sounded to myself like I was trying to justify something. "And  _while_  I'm helping people in need, I'm still in a race against Sepulchure for the Elemental Orbs! He cannot get them all or we're doomed!" I felt like I was rambling, and I probably was. That familiar feeling of having the world on my shoulders threatened to crush me again. Aegis was silent as I spoke, watching me carefully.

"Enough."

That single word broke through my tirade and I trailed off. "Excuse me?" I asked. "What do you mean?" Aegis smiled that warm, amused smile again.

"I've decided then," he said, and bowed deeply before me, "I would be honored to become you SoulAlly."

"Wait, really?" I replied.  _This would have been a lot easier if you had listened to me before_.

"No, I'm kidding. I'm just going to leave you here until Uthuluc thaws out and let him have his way with you," he snapped back. I nearly bit something back and almost missed the mischievous twinkle that had entered his eye.

"Oh hoho, you're sarcastic!" I exclaimed and Aegis just rolled his eyes with a smirk, "I can respect that. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!" he chuckled in reply.

"I sure that together we will do many good and helpful things," he agreed. "Ah, but it seems you've been here long enough. Let's get you home." He reached out a white hand and I felt it cradle my soul. It was cold, but comfortably so, like a cool breeze on a hot day. "I'll see you on the other side," I heard him say before the world was drenched in light.

 

Tomix saw the light flicker off in Karin's dark eyes and caught the young woman as she toppled forward. Gently, he lowered her to the ground, keeping her head nestled in his lap. He would stay with her, just in case anything went awry while her soul was wandering the Plane. He remembered his own trip into the Plane of Elemental Spirits; every student of Edelia was required to make the journey as a rite of passage. He remembered the fear he experienced as his soul was sucked from his body, the anxiety of realizing he had no way to protect himself, and the wonder of seeing the beauty of the world of spirits. Karin had seemed so nervous. Sure, during their time fighting through the city, he had seen many emotions cross her face; elation, anger, triumph, fatigue, disbelief, but one thing Karin never was, was nervous.

And now, this was yet another side of Karin that Tomix had never seen. As she lay unconscious in his lap, she looked so… vulnerable. He had seen her sleep before, back when she was recovering from ChaosWeaver poison, but that was different. Back then, her face had been screwed up in pain and covered in a sheen of sweat as she fought off the fever.

Now… she was peaceful. He had never seen her when she wasn't bristling in her battle armor, splattered with the blood and gore of her enemies with a bright grin on her face. Now she seemed small and fragile compared to that image of her. The sleeves of her black tunic stopped just short of her elbows, allowing Tomix a view of scars; from burns and bites, from scratches and stabs that marred her skin, standing out white against tan.  _What has she been doing to become so scarred?_ , he thought to himself.

Something smooth slipped through his fingers and Tomix realized with a start that while he was thinking, he had begun absentmindedly to run his hands through her hair. And to his greater surprise, he kept doing it. Dark red strands glided over the exposed skin of his fingers, surprisingly soft.

_Why did she help me?_  He couldn't help but wonder. He didn't ask for her help and had in fact advised against it, but she had stuck with him anyway. She had quite literally come falling into his life and now it seemed as though he had no chance of getting rid of her, like an annoying and chipper song he had stuck in his head.  _Of course, I wouldn't actually ask her to leave_. Honestly, it was because of her that he had come so far in his quest for retribution. Whenever he had started to lose hope, she would be there with a grin, a witty quip and a bad pun to get him back on his feet.  _If it weren't for her, we wouldn't have found Riadne again-_

Riadne. His fingers froze in the locks of Karin's hair. With a quick glance, Tomix looked for the Arachnomancer in the gloom before remembering that she was still weak, fighting off injury and poison beneath the ever-watchful eye of his SoulAlly. Being held prisoner at the hands of the ChaosWeavers had taken more out of her than Tomix had first suspected. Looking back down at Karin's slumbering face, he felt his heart twist in his chest.

Tomix felt himself torn. Riadne tugged on one half; that beautiful, brave, serious young woman who had driven him frantic with worry and lifted his spirits with the knowledge of her safety. Karin tugged on the other half; an equally beautiful woman who was strong and tenacious, who knew when to crack an awful joke and when it was time to slit some throats.

He thought back to the first time he met Riadne, how he had been struck by her beauty and her intelligence. She proved herself to be a resourceful, level-headed woman. She had said that she missed him when they found her in the park, had blushed a bright red when their hands had accidently brushed. Her going missing had sent him into a frenzy to find her, and a desire for revenge against those monsters that hurt her still simmered beneath the surface.

He thought back to that time in the sewers beneath the prison. Karin had succumbed to delirium as she curled up in his arms, giggling like a little girl and whispering sweet nothings in his ear around a tongue slurred by poison. She had told him she liked him, laid a hand on his cheek, leaving trails of fire behind her fingers. He was never worried that she was going to be fine, knowing she wold bounce back soon enough with a snarky quip and a good shove to get him back on his feet.

He shook his head vigorously.  _I can't deal with this right now, there's a war coming for Lore's sake!_

The woman on his lap suddenly stirred, and Tomix's worried thoughts evaporated.

 

Everything felt heavy, like my limbs were weighed down with lead. Wait… I had limbs again! I twitched my fingers just to clarify, and sure enough I felt each one move. A groan escaped me as I tried to turn over, my body protesting as though I had just run a marathon. I tensed my back and tried to sit up and was quickly thwarted by gravity until strong hands clasped my arms and helped to keep me up. "Easy now, take it easy," a low voice soothed, "It's a rough journey you just returned from. Take your time."

Forcing my eyelids open I saw Tomix crouched beside me, his hands supporting my shoulders. I blinked lazily and lifted a heavy hand to rub my face. How nice it felt to know where it was. "Ugh," I moaned, "I feel like I've been sleeping for a month."

"Well, you did just have your soul pulled from your body and forced back in," Tomix replied, "trust me, I know what it feels like." The smile on his face was almost proud, "I knew you could do it."

I grinned sluggishly back at him. "I did do it, didn't I?" I tried to stand, but apparently physics are so different on the Plane of Elemental Spirits that I forgot how they worked on Lore. My legs shook underneath me and if it weren't for Tomix, I would have ended up face planting into the dirt. "I'm okay," I said, shaking my head to try and get the blood flowing to my brain again. When the world finally decided to stop spinning I let go of Tomix, waving my arms a bit to keep my balance. He was always right there to catch me if I stumbled, but I managed to maintain at least a little bit of my dignity.

It really did feel as though I had slept for a long time. Though I was groggy and stiff, joints popping as I moved, I felt strangely refreshed. "I actually feel pretty good!" I said, bending my fingers to relieve the pressure, "I really did need a nap." Tomix's pulled a face at the audible pops that sounded from my neck and shoulders and back as I stretched, relishing in the feeling of flesh around my soul again. Speaking of souls… "Oh hey, I want you to meet my SoulAlly! How do I do that?" Tomix seemed distracted as he watched me crack each knuckle. I waved my hand in front of his face. "Helloooooo. Is anyone in there?" I asked, smiling as his startled eyes met mine.

"Oh, right," he said, pale face tinged pink for a fraction of a second, "You and your SoulAlly are now connected. If you call them, they will come."

"Really now?" I replied, and cupped my hands around my mouth. "AEGIS!" I shouted loudly into the emptiness, my voice echoing in the cavernous space. A cool crisp breeze danced through my hair just as a voice spoke in my ear.

"You rang?"

I couldn't help myself. Letting out an uncharacteristically girly scream, I spun around and threw my arms around Aegis' torso, lifting him clear off the ground and spinning in circles, giggling like a maniac.

"Alright, alright!" I heard him shout over my laughter, "I understand that you're excited, but don't you want to introduce me to your friend over there?" I spun to a stop and set Aegis back on his feet, only for him to grip my shoulder and rub at his ribcage hissing: "Oh Gods, you're really strong!" I smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. Aegis, this is my good friend Tomix. Tomix, this is my SoulAlly Aegis!" The two greeted each other with small bows, all the while watching my bounce up and down on the balls of my feet, trying really hard not to break out into giggles again.

"Is she always like this?" Aegis asked of Tomix, eyeing me as the giggles started to bubble out.

"Only when she gets really excited," Tomix informed him.

"Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into," Aegis mumbled. I couldn't handle it anymore. Both men let out a surprised shout as I caught them both in a tackle that sent all three of us tumbling to the ground.

**Author's Note:**

> Transferring this over the AO3 has been a long time coming! I'll be uploading the chapters in pretty quick succession, so keep an eye out for more very, very soon! I promise I'm working on this more this summer and hopefully I can wrap it up to work on other projects! Thanks to everyone over on Fanfiction.net for supporting me and this fic!


End file.
